# Black Cloud Rising - Hardcover

by **David Wright Falade** (Author)

**Already excerpted in the _New Yorker_, _Black Cloud Rising_ is a compelling and important historical novel that takes us back to an extraordinary moment when enslaved men and women were shedding their bonds and embracing freedom**

By fall of 1863, Union forces had taken control of Tidewater Virginia, and established a toehold in eastern North Carolina, including along the Outer Banks. Thousands of freed slaves and runaways flooded the Union lines, but Confederate irregulars still roamed the region. In December, the newly formed African Brigade, a unit of these former slaves led by General Edward Augustus Wild--a one-armed, impassioned Abolitionist--set out from Portsmouth to hunt down the rebel guerillas and extinguish the threat.

From this little-known historical episode comes _Black Cloud Rising_, a dramatic, moving account of these soldiers--men who only weeks earlier had been enslaved, but were now Union infantrymen setting out to fight their former owners. At the heart of the narrative is Sergeant Richard Etheridge, the son of a slave and her master, raised with some privileges but constantly reminded of his place. Deeply conflicted about his past, Richard is eager to show himself to be a credit to his race. As the African Brigade conducts raids through the areas occupied by the Confederate Partisan Rangers, he and his comrades recognize that they are fighting for more than territory. Wild's mission is to prove that his troops can be trusted as soldiers in combat. And because many of the men have fled from the very plantations in their path, each raid is also an opportunity to free loved ones left behind. For Richard, this means the possibility of reuniting with Fanny, the woman he hopes to marry one day.

With powerful depictions of the bonds formed between fighting men and heartrending scenes of sacrifice and courage, _Black Cloud Rising_ offers a compelling and nuanced portrait of enslaved men and women crossing the threshold to freedom.

### Author Biography

**David Wright Faladé** is a professor of English at the University of Illinois and the Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellow at the New York Public Library's Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. He is the co-author of the young adult novel _Away Running_ and author of the nonfiction book _Fire on the Beach: Recovering the Lost Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers_, which was a _New Yorker_ notable selection and a _St. Louis-Dispatch_ Best Book of 2001. The recipient of the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Award, he has written for the _New Yorker_, the _Village Voice_, the _Southern Review_, _Newsday_, and more.

**Number of Pages:** 304

**Dimensions:** 1.1 x 9.1 x 6.1 IN

**Publication Date:** February 22, 2022

## Details

- **Price:** 27.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 27.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Black Cloud Rising - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/black-cloud-rising-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-23