Video: David Cecelski on NC Bookwatch

Abraham H. Galloway (1837-70) was a fiery young slave rebel, radical abolitionist, and Union spy who rose out of bondage to become one of the most significant and stirring black leaders in the South during the Civil War. Throughout his brief, mercurial life, Galloway fought against slavery and injustice. David Cecelski’s The Fire of Freedom: Abraham Galloway and the Slave’s Civil War illuminates Galloway’s life and deepens our insight into the Civil War and Reconstruction as experienced by African Americans in the South.

In an interview with North Carolina Bookwatch host D. G. Martin, Cecelski describes the many threads he followed to unlock the mystery of Abraham Galloway, now proudly identifying him as a part of the pantheon of North Caorlina’s greatest heroes. Cecelski delves into the leadership Galloway exerted before, during, and after the Civil War.

Historian David S. Cecelski is also author of The Waterman’s Song: Slavery and Freedom in Maritime North Carolina and co-editor, with Timothy B. Tyson, of Democracy Betrayed: The Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 and Its Legacy.

This interview originally aired on UNC-TV on January 6, 2013. For more interviews with UNC Press authors and others visit  NC Bookwatch.