1867 MISSIONARY TO FREED SLAVES. Uncle John in the Army Among the Freedmen. 1st Edition

A very rare survivor of the first edition of the life of one of the earliest and most significant Chaplains among the troops of the Union, John Ellison Vassar [1813-1878]. He stood out for his willingness to operate on the front lines, rendering spiritual and material aid in the heat of battle. From the beginning he showed a special tenderness toward the soldiers associated with the "United States Colored Troops" [U.S.C.T.] regiments. 

After the War's end, he departed for the South as a missionary to the newly freed, and to act as a witness and voice of conscience, helping ensure their new liberty was honored and found root in society. 

Rare in any format, it was issued in both cloth and paper, with the paper having the rather romantic encampment scene from the war lithographed to the wraps. This copy penciled "gratis" at the head of the front wrap, likely distributed among disabled troops or freedmen in the South on behalf of the American Tract Society. Also includes content on the early work of the Freedman's Bureau.

[Civil War, Colored Regiments, Freedmen, Chaplaincy] Uncle John in the Army among the Freedmen. New York. American Tract Society. 1867. First Edition. 94pp. 

Fair in original wraps, stained as shown, only impeding the first few pages. Spine chipped and the binding quite tender on the whole.