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Black Soldiers Made Key Contributions in Civil War, Despite Often Being Under Poor Leaders

WKU professors Jack Thacker and Glenn LaFantasie talk about the contributions of African-American soldiers to the U.S. Civil War effort, and President Lincoln's role in arming former slaves. They also point out that black units were often placed under inexperienced and ineffective white officers.

This is the latest in WKU Public Radio's series of reports on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

Dan Modlin served as News Director at WKU Public Radio for 23 years, and retired in early 2013. He's a native of Indiana who grew up in a broadcasting family. A graduate of Ball State University, he worked for several years in the news network business in the Midwest, specializing in agricultural and political coverage, before coming to WKU Public Radio. His reports have earned numerous national and state awards for documentary production, public affairs reporting, and enterprise reporting.