Stephen A. Swails: Black Freedom Fighter in the Civil War and Reconstruction

Stephen Atkins Swails served with distinction in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry and became the first African American commissioned as a U.S. combat officer. After the Civil War, he stayed in South Carolina, playing a key role in politics and civil rights. Through later erased from history, Gordon C. Rhea's biography revives Swails' powerful legacy - a story of resilience, leadership, and the ongoing fight for racial equality.