Dismal Freedom

Morris's solid monograph skillfully presents how Great Dismal Swamp maroonage changed over time, moving from sixteenth-century slaves and servants to nineteenth-century maroons who assisted Union troops."—Journal of American History

"Thoroughly researched and highly readable . . . Morris's clear and compelling work sheds a light on the maroons of the Great Dismal Swamp whose experiences has been overlooked or minimized for far too long."—North Carolina Historical Review

"Morris provides glimpses of what life might have been like in the dozens of separate maroon communities, some very small and near the edges of the swamp and others larger and sometimes on islands within the swamp"—Trend & Tradition: The Magazine of Colonial Williamsburg

"A welcome addition to the history of enslavement, self-emancipation, and maroons in the United States. . . . Dismal Freedom deserves high praise. Morris has written a readable and engaging account of the Dismal Swamp maroons and their contributions to ending slavery."—Civil War Book Review

"J. Brent Morris provides a comprehensive look at those who sought refuge in the swamp's embrace. . . . For anyone interested in slavery, resistance, or marronage, Dismal Freedom is a worthwhile read."—Virginia Magazine of History & Biography

"Morris has produced an excellent study and contributes to a deeper understanding of marronage. Dismal Freedom is well suited for students and the general public alike, and it should be read by anyone who wants to broaden their awareness of marronage in the United States."—Journal of Southern History

"Brent Morris resurrects the marginalized, enslaved, but nevertheless extraordinary people who marooned in and around the Great Dismal Swamp from roughly 1600 to 1900. . . . [A] remarkable excavation of concealed lives and buried history, a celebration of such people as Abraham Lester, Little Isaac, Venus Dismal, and others, whose stories are rarely—if ever—told."—The Journal of the Civil War Era