“My First Footsteps of Freedom” by Civil War Historian Bradley Quinlin

“My First Footsteps of Freedom” by Civil War Historian Bradley Quinlin During the American Civil War, the Union Army enlisted units of men of African descent. Frederic Douglass wanted the United States government to do more. So, in March 1863, the U. S. Congress passed a bill which allowed for white Union regiments to enlist Africans. The bill provided for two Africans to be assigned to each company.

Historian Bradley Quinlin will tell the story of their bravery on the battlefields of the Atlanta Campaign and saving the lives of their white comrades. He will tell the story of Emma Stephenson who became a nurse in the Union Army in Georgia in 1864.