Diary of a Contraband

by Gould, William

• ISBN13: 9780804746403
• ISBN10: 0804746400
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-11-01
• Publisher: Stanford Univ Pr

Summary

The heart of this book is the remarkable Civil War diary of the author's great-grandfather, William Benjamin Gould, an escaped slave who served in the United States Navy from 1862 until the end of the war. The diary vividly records Gould's activity as part of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron off the coast of North Carolina and Virginia; his visits to New York and Boston; the pursuit to Nova Scotia of a hijacked Confederate cruiser; and service in European waters pursuing Confederate ships constructed in Great Britain and France. Gould's diary is one of only three known diaries of African American sailors in the Civil War. It is distinguished not only by its details and eloquent tone (often deliberately understated and sardonic), but also by its reflections on war, on race, on race relations in the Navy, and on what African Americans might expect after the war. The book includes introductory chapters that establish the context of the diary narrative, an annotated version of the diary, a brief account of Gould's life in Massachusetts after the war, and William B. Gould IV's thoughts about the legacy of his great-grandfather and his own journey of discovery in learning about this remarkable man.

Author Biography

William B. Gould IV is the Charles A. Beardsley Professor of Law at Stanford University. He served as Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board during the Clinton administration, and has written extensively in labor law.

Table of Contents

List of Maps	ix
Foreword	xi
Senator Mark O. Hatfield
Preface	xiii
Dramatis Personae	xix
Prologue	1	(14)
An Introduction to William B. Gould: In the Service of `Uncle Samuel'	15	(25)
William B. Gould's Worlds: Wilmington, Dedham, and the Intervening War	40	(18)
The Democratic Impulse and the Navy: Two Influences Shaping William B. Gould's Wartime Experiences	58	(15)
William B. Gould's Other Writings	73	(214)
THE DIARY
Aboard the U.S.S. Cambridge	103	(42)
Aboard the U.S.S. Niagara	145	(142)
Epilogue	287	(14)
Appendix A. Glossary of Naval Terms	301	(4)
Appendix B. Correspondents of William B. Gould	305	(16)
Appendix C. Three Speeches by William B. Gould IV	321	(26)
Notes	347	(18)
Index	365