The Fire of Freedom: Abraham Galloway & The Slaves’ Civil War by David S. Cecelski (review)

The Fire of Freedom by David Cecelski examines the period extending from the late 1850s to the Civil War and Reconstruction. He argues that Abraham Galloway—a former North Carolina slave, abolitionist, and politician—played central roles in the quest for black liberation and equal rights. Moreover, Cecelski makes a clear distinction between the goals of blacks and those of whites fighting for the Union or Confederacy.

Cecelski, who has written extensively on African Americans in North Carolina, took on a challenging project. Galloway, like most blacks born into slavery, was illiterate throughout his life. As a result, he did not put his thoughts on paper. Fortunately, Galloway was a gifted orator whose speeches and interviews were frequently published by newspapers, especially black presses. Moreover, his friends and contacts recorded the conversations they had with him. Galloway often dictated letters, which meant Cecelski had correspondences to work with.

The fact that Galloway, who died at the untimely age of thirty-three, could neither read nor write made his wide range of achievements all the more impressive. Perhaps due to a lack of sources, Cecelski covered little about Galloway’s family and instead delved into his escape and work with radical abolitionists and the Underground Railroad. According to Cecelski, Galloway quickly established connections in the Upper South and as far north as Canada. Galloway, despite escaping North, returned South several times in order to secure the freedom of many other slaves. Cecelski also detailed Galloway’s efforts to help establish an African American colony in Haiti.

The majority of the book concentrates on Galloway’s efforts in the Civil War. Galloway compares favorably to Harriet Tubman in regard to his participation in the Underground Railroad and in the field of espionage. According to Cecelski, Galloway provided the Union Army with important intelligence. A recent refugee from bondage, Galloway had little problem blending in with the slave community. In working against the Confederacy, he also encountered racial discrimination within the ranks of the Union. Cecelski shows a black community that grew disillusioned by white Unionists—including Abraham Lincoln.

Cecelski contends Galloway’s disappointment led him to seek political solutions to the conditions of blacks—free or enslaved. As a result, Galloway participated in local and national conventions during the latter part of the war and became well acquainted with prominent black leaders such as Henry Highland Garnet. He also championed the creation of the Equal Rights League in order to petition and pressure the federal government to grant blacks first class citizenship. Galloway continued his fight for policy reform by winning a seat in the North Carolina State Senate. As a state senator, he pushed for equality on the basis of race and gender. He also fought for labor rights. Cecelski asserts that Galloway proved to be an effective legislator despite his inability to read or write. His oratory skills were useful in debating senators who opposed social and political quality for African Americans.

While The Fire of Freedom is a convincing study, it does have its share of limitations. By Cecelski’s own admission, there are few extant military records to shed light on the work Galloway did as a spy. This is possibly due to a combination of Galloway’s illiteracy and the clandestine nature of his work. Additionally, Galloway’s tenure as a state senator—albeit a little more than a two-year term—receives scant attention. For example, Cecelski only briefly mentions Galloway’s record on the rights of North Carolina women despite stating that Galloway introduced a couple pieces of legislation on their behalf. Even with such flaws, I highly recommend The Fire of Freedom for its examination of Galloway as well as the racial climate of the Civil War.