THE LONG ROAD TO FREEDOM: A Novel of William Murrell and the 109th - Softcover

Inhaltsangabe

The surviving records do not reveal whether William Murrell was born enslaved or free. They reveal only that he was a Black man in nineteenth-century Kentucky—and that when the nation divided, he stepped forward to serve.

Born around 1826 and associated with Barren County, William lives in a world where Black families can be separated, names can disappear from official records, and freedom remains uncertain even beyond the plantation gate. As war spreads across the country, he must decide what kind of future is still possible for himself and the people he loves.

William enlists in the Union Army as a private in Company I of the 109th United States Colored Infantry. Wearing the blue uniform gives him a new purpose, but it cannot protect him from battlefield terror, racial injustice, or the fear that everything waiting at home may be changed forever.

Alongside fellow soldiers, William confronts combat, loss, loyalty, and the transforming power of literacy. When the war ends and his rifle is finally returned, he discovers that freedom is not a destination. It is a road that must be traveled—and defended—one difficult step at a time.

Inspired by documented military and family records, The Long Road to Freedom is a historically grounded novel about courage, Black Union soldiers, family separation, literacy, survival, and the unfinished meaning of freedom in America.

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