Black Cloud Rising, Falade - B

                     This novel is about the African Brigade of former slaves who fought in the Civil War. The unit was commanded by Gen. Edward Wild; our narrator is a now free man of color named Dick Etheridge. After the brigade was formed at Fortress Freedom in Virginia, it headed south along the Dismal Swamp Road, freeing slaves as it went. They took Elizabeth City, N.C. and from there marched out  to confront the local vigilantes. As this section of Virginia and North Carolina along the coast was isolated, there was a claustrophobic feel to it, one exaggerated by the fact that all of the soldiers who had come from there knew all of the locals. Dick Etheridge was concerned about having to take up arms against his white cousin Patrick. The familiarity heightened the tension and exacerbated the violence. The marching column was attacked by the Confederate irregulars from the woods at the side of a road. The Black men charged with bayonets drawn. During the fire fight, Dick captures Patrick, chastises him and tells him to doff the butternut jacket and be on his way. Throughout the march, the negro soldiers were abused by the locals and looked down on by their white comrades in arms. The brigade, now an experienced fighting unit, headed north to Fortress Freedom.  From the perspective of the year 1899, Dick looks back and reflects on his long marriage, his business partnership with his cousin, and notes that the Blacks are now free, but not really. Not much changes in the Outer Banks.