"By His Aid Was that Flag Preserved": The Shenandoah Valley's African Americans and the War for Emancipation

About the Program: This presentation, based on elements of Prof. Jonathan A. Noyalas' recent book Slavery and Freedom in the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War Era, published by the University Press of Florida in the spring of 2021, will explore the various ways African Americans, male and female, young and old, enslaved and free, supported Union armies in the Shenandoah Valley throughout the Civil War and thus played an active role in the war that restored the Union and destroyed slavery.

About the Author: Jonathan A. Noyalas is director of Shenandoah University's McCormick Civil War Institute and a professor in the history department at SU. He is the author or editor of fourteen books, has published more than 100 articles, essays, book chapters, and reviews for a variety of popular and scholarly publications. Prof. Noyalas has consulted on various public history projects with organizations such as the National Park Service, American Battlefield Trust, and Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. Additionally, he has appeared on NPR's "With Good Reason," C-SPAN's American History TV, and PCN. Noyalas is the recipient of numerous awards including the highest honor that can ever be bestowed upon anyone teaching at a college/university in Virginia, the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia's Outstanding Faculty Award.

The author will provide books for purchase after the program.