| Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 34.1

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| Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 34.1 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

The Black Regulars, 1866–1898. By William A. Dobak and Thomas D. Phillips. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001. xviii + 360 pp. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $34.95.)

Enlisted men provide the focus of this volume, which offers much new information in its topical chapters. The introduction discusses sources and why, for economic reasons, the units were created. Two cavalry and four infantry regiments faced reduction to two cavalry and two infantry regiments, 9 percent of the army. One-half of the recruits came from black Union regiments in the Civil War, with few clerks and skilled workers because of limited literacy or better civilian opportunities. Yet for most blacks the military offered more possibilities and a less hostile environment than civilian life. Among the white officers, most had served in the Union army, many with black units. 1

Black regulars reenlisted more often than whites. They also deserted less, although some departed to escape harsh treatment. Congressional suggestions about army integration, or reduction of the military and elimination of black units, failed. African Americans did gain positions in staff bureaus, including the medical corps and the commissary department. Black and white units shared posts, with cooperation more typical than tension. . . .

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