African American Military Surgeons in the Civil War

The Union's armed forces engaged some 12,000 surgeons during the Civil War. Of these, just fourteen were men of color. In this truly ground-breaking study, Newmark, independent historian and former curator at the National Library of Medicine, examines the lives and military service of these men, thirteen who had served in the Army and one in the Navy, of whom only three held commissions, the others serving as contract surgeons.

For each man, Newmark gives us an overview of his background, his military service, and his later life. All were born free, mostly into rather successful families; one, John Van Suly de Grasse, was the grandson of the French admiral who won the Battle of the Virginia Capes in 1781, setting the stage for the fall of Yorktown.

Newmark gets into the difficulties these men faced in becoming physicians and the obstacles they had to overcome to become military surgeons, a position others were denied. She also doesn't overlook the difficulties they faced in carrying out their duties, and offers some coverage of the general neglect of the health of African American personnel.

A volume in the SIU series "Engaging the Civil War," Without Concealment, Without Compromise is a valuable read for anyone with an interest in the war, and an essential one for understanding the African American experience.

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Note: Without Concealment, Without Compromise is also available in e-editions.

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