Intensely Human: The Health of the Black Soldier in the American Civil War

Black soldiers in the American Civil War were far more likely to die of disease than were white soldiers. In Intensely Human, historian Margaret Humphreys explores why this uneven mortality occurred and how it was interpreted at the time. In doing so, she uncovers the perspectives of mid—nineteenth—century physicians and others who were eager to implicate the so—called innate inferiority of the black body.

In the archival collections of the U.S. Sanitary Commission, Humphreys found evidence...