Dr. Ben Parton will present his upcoming book Somewhere Toward Freedom: Sherman's March" on Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 11 AM at Beaufort Branch Library. Somewhere Towards Freedom tells the story of Sherman's March to the Sea through the African American lens. Dr. Bennett Parten will connect Sherman's March with the seeds of Reconstruction and highlight Beaufort Districts' essential role as the Union logistics hub enabling communication and resupply, then as the launch point for Sherman's continued march through South Carolina.
In Somewhere Toward Freedom, historian Bennett Parten brilliantly reframes this seminal episode in Civil War history. He not only helps us understand how Sherman’s March impacted the war, and what it meant to the enslaved, but also reveals how it laid the foundation for the fledging efforts of Reconstruction.
Sherman’s March has remained controversial to this day. But as Parten reveals, it played a significant role in ending the Civil War, due in no small part to the efforts of the tens of thousands of enslaved people who became a part of it. In Somewhere Toward Freedom, this critical moment in American history has finally been given the attention it deserves.
Dr. Bennett Parten is an assistant professor of history at Georgia Southern University whose area of expertise is the Civil War period. He is a native of Royston, Georgia, and completed his PhD in history at Yale University. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Zocalo Public Square, and The Civil War Monitor, among others. He currently lives in Savannah, Georgia.
Many people are familiar with the heroic story of Robert Smalls and his daring escape from slavery on the Planter. However, on board the ship that night were more than a dozen enslaved people who risked their lives at the chance for liberty in the Charleston Harbor. Their stories have long been lost in the shadow of Robert Smalls. On board the Planter that night were future soldiers, liberators, entrepreneurs, and politicians. Their experiences reflect the challenges and successes of formerly enslaved people navigating postwar Reconstruction. This presentation by Park Ranger Chris Barr from
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park will draw on newspaper and pension records to share the experiences of these little-known freedom-seekers.
Chris Barr is the Chief of Interpretation at Reconstruction Era National Historical Park. His career with the National Park Service has included work at Andersonville National Historic Site, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. He has been here in Beaufort County since 2019.
The "Historically Speaking" series is brought to you by the Beaufort District Collection and the Beaufort County Historical Society. First come; first seated until Fire Marshall limit met. Doors will open at 10:30 AM.
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