Practical Liberators

“For anyone interested in the Civil War and how it advanced the cause of human freedom in this nation and the world will find this an essential addition to their library.”—Ethan S. Rafuse, America’s Civil War

“A much-needed and bracing look at how Union officers approached emancipation in the West during the Civil War”—Journal of the Civil War Era

“Teter’s sobering study of western officers' lack of enthusiasm for emancipation as a moral issue helps explain how quickly the nation retreated from Reconstruction and the defense of black rights, even though the Civil War became a war of practical liberation.”—Journal of African American History

“Essential reading.”—Civil War Books and Authors

“Teters’s book is anchored by thorough research and cogent analysis. . . . Practical Liberators deserves to be put into dialog with other works examining the evolving racial progressivism of the Union Army. It is a welcome addition to the Civil War’s ever-expanding literature.”—On Point

“Effective and well-written . . . accessible and valuable to broad and academic audiences alike.”—Journal of American History

“Kristopher A. Teters’s Practical Liberators is a valuable contribution to the growing historiography on military emancipation during the Civil War.”—H-Net Reviews

“Thought-provoking. . . . Practical Liberators would be a useful book to utilize in upper-division undergraduate courses or graduate seminars to spark lively discussions.”—Industrial Relations

“Thoroughly researched and entirely convincing, Practical Liberators surely establishes this interpretation as representing the consensus among professional historians.”—Annals of Iowa

“[A] crisply written and deeply researched study of emancipation’s progress in the war’s western theater.”—Missouri Historical Review