Class Year
2019
Document Type
Article
Abstract
This article explores Gettysburg’s 19th century black history through the exciting experiences of the Devan family. Originally from Frederick County, Maryland, they came to Gettysburg as free people of color. In town, one member of the family was suspected of assisting slave catchers by handing over escaped slaves for a profit. Four members of the family served during the Civil War in the United States Colored Troops, three of whom died in the service. This complex story proves the fact that black history is extremely complex and should not be painted by historians with a single brush stroke.
Recommended Citation
Dalton, Andrew I.
(2016)
""For Safety and For Liberty," The Devan Family of Gettysburg,"
The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era: Vol. 6, Article 6.
Available at:
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/gcjcwe/vol6/iss1/6
Included in
Cultural History Commons, Genealogy Commons, Military History Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons