The lives of Victor Chambers-who was born on the battlefield at Gettysburg to a runaway slave and later became an artist in Providence-and his mother are chronicled in this book based on letters that Chambers wrote to Rinaldi's great-grandfather; a Civil War veteran; in 1931. The story Rinaldi relates is emblematic of the fate of countless others whose lives were shaped by the scourge of slavery. Chambers' mother; a daughter of free blacks in Philadelphia; was kidnapped from her parents by slave catchers; who most likely included the notorious Lucretia (Patty) Cannon. After the kidnapping; Chambers' mother was enslaved on a Virginia tobacco plantation for 37 years before she made her escape to Gettysburg on the night before the historic Civil War battle erupted. She was nine months pregnant with Chambers-and determined that her child would not be born a slave. Gettysburg was a key stop on the Underground Railroad. Harriette Rinaldi retraced the path of Victor's mother from Philadelphia to Virginia and back; and her research gives the readers a vivid portrait of the life of an African-American family from the late eighteenth to early twentieth century. This riveting chronicle provides background information about the tactics and routes used by slave catchers in abducting free blacks; especially children; the atmosphere in slave markets; the role of religion as a means of control by owners; as well as a means of self-expression by slaves; the treatment of slave children; physical and psychological measures used by masters and overseers to control slaves; sexual abuse by masters; and the Underground Railroad as a clandestine operation.
#409074 in Books US Naval Institute Press 1999-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.10 x 6.29 x 9.29l; #File Name: 1557508445256 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I bought this book to answer one question and it ...By aztec69I bought this book to answer one question and it did just that. Unfortunately; I didn't find the answer until the last few pages. Still; a fascinating story about an interestingg man who left his mark on history.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Confederate AdmiralBy Manray9Craig Symond's "Confederate Admiral" is a brief biographical account of the life of Franklin Buchanan; the Confederacy's first admiral. Buchanan was prominent in the antebellum U.S. Navy serving as first superintendent of the U. S. Naval Academy; storming the Mexican fort at Tuxpan; and acting as flag captain during M. C. Perry's mission to open Japan in 1853. Buchanan went on to fight in the two greatest actions of the nascent Confederate Navy. He commanded CSS VIRGINIA during the first day of the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862 and led the ironclad CSS TENNESSEE against D. G. Farragut's fleet at the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864. He was seriously wounded in both actions. Symond's biography is not a remarkable example of the biographer's art; but it is a serviceable book; perhaps mostly of interest to Civil War or naval history buffs. It is worth reading.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. CONFEDERATE ADMIRAL: THE LIFE AND WARS OF FRANKLIN BUCHANANBy Robert A. LynnCONFEDERATE ADMIRAL: THE LIFE AND WARS OF FRANKLIN BUCHANANCraig L. SymondsNaval Institute Press; 2008Quality Softcover; 312 Pages; Maps; Photographs; $18.95Franklin Buchanan; born in Baltimore; Maryland;entered the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in 1815 and became George Bancroft's chief advisor in planning the U.S. Naval Academy and became its first superintendent from 1845-1847. He fought in the Mexican War; commanded the sloops of war Vincennes and Germantown;and commanded the steam frigate Susquehanna; the flagship in Perry's expedition to China and Japan 1852-1855. He was then promoted to captain and assumed command of the Washington Navy Yard in 1859. He resigned on 22 April 1861 on the belief that his state of Maryland was going to secede but when it didn't; Buchanan had second thoughts. He was turned down and was commissioned a captain in the Confederate States Navy on 5 September 1861 and was named Chief of Orders and Details and took command of the Chesapeake Bay Squadron in early 1862. He commanded the first ironclad CSS Virginia in its initial appearance in Hampton Roads on 8 March 1862. He was subsequently wounded in the battle with the USS Congress in the leg while his brother; Paymaster McKean Buchanan; was killed. The honor to command the CSS Virginia against the USS Monitor went to Catesby ap Roger Jones. After recovering from his wound in August; 1862; Buchanan was promoted to the rank of admiral and sent to command Confederate naval forces at Mobile Bay; Alabama. He oversaw the construction of the ironclad CSS Tennessee and was on board her during the Battle of Mobile Bay with Rear Admiral David G. Farragut's Union fleet on August 5; 1864. Wounded and taken prisoner; Admiral Buchanan wasn't exchanged until February; 1865. He was on convalescent leave until the Civil War ended in April; 1865. Following the conflict; Buchanan lived in Maryland; then was a businessman in Mobile until 1870; when he again took up residence in Maryland to become the president of the Maryland State Agricultural College. He later died on May 11; 1874 and was buried at the Wye House family plot outside Easton; Maryland. Author Craig L. Symonds' CONFEDERATE ADMIRAL: THE LIFE AND WARS OF FRANKLIN BUCHANAN is a meticulously annotated and well written account of one of the Confederacy's best and brightest naval minds. It isn't only a fascinating account of the U.S. Naval Academy's first superintendent and his remarkable career in the U.S. Navy but also his stellar service to the Confederacy. Symonds' definitive study is a superb book.Lt. Colonel Robert A. Lynn; Florida GuardOrlando; Florida
