From Slave to Soldier: The Story of Hubbard Pryor

Suggested Teaching Instructions

This activity is intended as a warm-up or introduction to a discussion of the vital role African Americans played in the Union’s victory in the Civil War. For grades 9-10. Approximate time needed is 10-15 minutes.

Ask students to analyze each photograph, paying close attention to the similarities and differences in Private Pryor’s appearance (including dress, pose, facial expressions, etc). Ask students to respond to the questions on the screen in writing or with a partner. Then ask them to contribute their answers in a full-class discussion.

Ask students to speculate the reasons a photograph would have been taken of Hubbard Pryor both before and after his enlistment.

Tell students that Captain Reuben D. Mussey, working for the Colored Bureau of the Adjutant General's Office, included the photographs of Pryor in an October 1864 report on the success of recruiting black solders for the Federal Army. Mussey would write of the enlistment efforts "For raiders in the enemies country, these Colored Troops will prove superior, they are good riders – have quick eyes at night...and know all the byways." Share the fact that contemporaries and historians alike have pointed to the influx of African American soldiers as a turning point in the Civil War.

(You can also share with students that records of the National Archives show that Pryor was 5' 7", with black eyes, black hair and a dark brown complexion.)