A Brief Sketch of the Organization and Services of the Fifty-Ninth Regiment of the United States Colored Infantry and Biographical Sketches

8vo original publisher’s cloth gilt, 293 pp. Normal shelf wear on binding, some evidence of removal of label from backstrip, minor age toning. Otherwise in very good condition. In the spring of 1863, President Lincoln decided ‘colored’ regiments would be formed to take up arms against the South. This is a very rare and uncommon book that takes a look at the story of the 59th Colored Infantry that was originally organized from the 1st Tennessee (African decent) on March 11, 1864. While the regiment started out with Tennessee recruits, it eventually took recruits from other states. The book was authored by its commanding officer (Robert Cowden), who was a pioneer in leading African American regiments. Cowden provides many interesting details of the regiment’s campaigns, including the battle of Brice’s Cross Roads and the Battle of Harrisburg. The author also includes brief biographical profiles of some of the men in his unit.