The Sun King at Sea: Maritime Art and Galley Slavery in Louis XIV’s France

Abstract

those who joined the Union effort towards the end of the war. This chapter also looks at enslaved individuals who joined the Confederacy, though Thorp argues that this only occurred as a result of force and not by choice. The following chapter shifts to look at the post-war status of Montgomery County and how families and communities responded to their newly acquired freedom. Thorp uses this chapter to illuminate post-war tensions between enslavers and recently emancipated individuals while also highlighting moments of continuity. While some individuals engaged in physical and legal battles for freedom and recognition, others maintained relationships with their former enslavers and, in some instances, remained on plantations under varied arrangements. The sixth and final chapter follows the families formed on the Smithfield plantations as they moved away from Montgomery County. This chapter looks at how these individuals navigated new opportunities and challenges as they migrated away from Smithfield to create their own legacies. In the True Blue’s Wake provides a compelling, exceptional, and deeply personal account of life and family during enslavement and in the wake of emancipation. Thorp’s outstanding genealogical research –which is neatly accessible in the appendices – will undoubtedly appeal to academics. At the same time, the easily consumable prose ensures that this story is approachable to a general audience. Like all great endeavours, however, this work does not go unscathed by oversight or errors. Limited evidence in the book’s first half forces the author to make numerous subjective leaps and fill in gaps with possibilities rather than facts. Thorp’s heavy reliance on cohabitation records and inclination to focus primarily on family units leaves many individuals enslaved at Smithfield out of their own story. Additionally, the author alternates between the use of given and surnames – as well as calling numerous individuals by the same surname – which will undoubtedly cause some confusion. Nevertheless, this book’s contributions overshadow its faults. This book is, by all counts, an impressive history that clarifies the undeniable overlap between history and genealogy.