SULLIVANS ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Black re-enactors from South Carolina and other states say they are dedicated to retelling the story of black Civil War troops as the 150th anniversary of the war approaches.
Joe McGill, who re-enacts with the 54th Massachusetts in South Carolina, says when the re-enactors aren't at the table telling the story, it doesn't get told.
The 54th is the unit whose 1863 attack on Battery Wagner in Charleston Harbor is told in the movie "Glory."
Yale historian David Blight says that for years, the story of black troops was erased from the mainstream American memory, teaching and textbooks.
Blight says while the story now is mainstream for scholars, many Americans still don't know the story of the black troops.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
Joe McGill, who re-enacts with the 54th Massachusetts in South Carolina, says when the re-enactors aren't at the table telling the story, it doesn't get told.
The 54th is the unit whose 1863 attack on Battery Wagner in Charleston Harbor is told in the movie "Glory."
Yale historian David Blight says that for years, the story of black troops was erased from the mainstream American memory, teaching and textbooks.
Blight says while the story now is mainstream for scholars, many Americans still don't know the story of the black troops.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
