Somewhere Toward Freedom

By: Bennett Parten

Narrated by: Jonathan Beville

Considered one of “the most innovative studies of American emancipation in the Civil War” (David W. Blight, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Frederick Douglass), Somewhere Toward Freedom is a groundbreaking account of Sherman’s March to the Sea—the critical Civil War campaign that destroyed the Confederacy—told for the first time from the perspective of the enslaved people who transformed it into the biggest liberation event in American history.

In the fall of 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman led his army through Atlanta, Georgia, burning buildings of military significance—and ultimately most of the city—along the way. From Atlanta, they marched across the state to the most important city at the time: Savannah.

Mired in the deep of the South with no reliable supply lines, Sherman’s army had to live off the land and the provisions on the plantations they seized along the way. As the army marched to the east, plantation owners fled, but even before they did so, slaves self-emancipated to Union lines. By the time the army seized Savannah in December, as many as 20,000 enslaved people had attached themselves to Sherman’s army. They endured hardships, marching as much as twenty miles a day—often without food or shelter from the winter weather—and at times Union commanders discouraged and even prevented the self-emancipated from staying with the army. Racism was not confined to the Confederacy.

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. When the war ended, Sherman and various government and private aid agencies seized plantation lands—particularly in the sea islands off the Georgia and South Carolina coasts—in order to resettle the newly emancipated. They were fed, housed, and in some instances, taught to read and write. This first real effort at Reconstruction was short-lived, however. As federal troops withdrew to the north, Confederate sympathizers and Southern landowners eventually brought about the downfall of this program.

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.

History not Taught

Loved learning the story that is not taught in our schools. Very readable. Should be required reading.

Port Royal

Liked the factual information about how land was promised to the freemen, but the government did not always keep their word. Most land was returned to former slave holders.

Must read

A retelling of Sherman’s march to the sea told in daily and personal detail at times creating an absolutely captivating description of this key moment in US history.

Compelling history, well told!

Fascinating stories! I live in Georgia and have never known of the things in this telling. Content and narration are both excellent and the only tiny change I might make is that we pronounce the river O GEE chee. ;) I’m so glad I chose this book!

Chapters 3 & 5

I like it told the untold story of the initial events following the abolition of Slavery during The March To The Sea, particularly in the Low Country area of SC where I live. My church sits on the very road Sherman marched and was established shortly thereafter.