author
Joseph T. (Joseph Thomas) Wilson
1836–1891
A Black Civil War veteran, journalist, and political activist, this writer is best known for preserving the history of African American soldiers in print. His work grew out of firsthand experience in war and Reconstruction, giving his books unusual urgency and authority.
1 Audiobook
The Black Phalanx African American soldiers in the War of Independence, the War of 1812, and the Civil War
by Joseph T. (Joseph Thomas) Wilson
About the author
Born free in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1837, Joseph T. Wilson served in the Union army during the Civil War, including with the famous 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and later in the United States Colored Troops. After the war he became deeply involved in public life as a journalist, speaker, and Republican activist during Reconstruction.
Wilson edited and published newspapers in Virginia, using them to argue for Black political rights and civic participation at a time of intense backlash and danger. His career joined military service, politics, and writing in a way that makes his books feel closely tied to the struggles of his own time.
He is remembered most widely for The Black Phalanx (1887), an important early history of Black soldiers in the American wars of 1775–1812 and 1861–1865. He also wrote Emancipation: Its Course and Progress. Wilson died on September 25, 1891, but his writing remains valuable for readers interested in the Civil War, Reconstruction, and African American history.