"The important story of black soldiers in the Union army has finally found a writer of historical fiction equal to the occasion. Allen Ballard's Where I'm Bound weaves together the experiences of former slave Sergeant Joe Duckett of the 3rd U.S. Colored Calvary with those of his family members left behind in slavery. As the novel moves towards its dramatic and moving climax, the reader learns a great deal about the civil war within the Civil War along the rivers and bayous of Mississippi and Louisiana. A good read for anyone interested in the Civil War and the history of African-Americans." - James M. McPherson, Professor of History, Princeton University, Author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era

"Allen Ballard's thrilling drama gives Civil War history real life, starting with its fugitive slave carpenter protagonist. Sergeant Joe Duckett makes a fine soldier and attractive lover whose joys and sorrows reflect that infernally American peculiar institution. What a terrific story!" - Nell Irvin Painter, Edwards Professor of American History, Princeton University, Author of Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol

"Built around the campaigns of the 3rd U.S. Colored Calvary Regiment; the Civil War explodes through dimensions of history bypassed by a horde of historians. Now Allen B. Ballard has drawn back the curtain on yet another marvelous and moving epoch of the Black experience of that time in Where I'm Bound." - John A. Williams, Author of The Man Who Cried I Am

"Rising from the dead, the voices of black soldiers in the Civil War whisper, shout and wail how that societal conflict really felt, smelled and tasted; all through the gifted and nimble storytelling of Allen Ballard. It is especially fitting that this quintessential Civil War epic waited for historian and scholar Ballard to bring it to life. Those who want to deepen their knowledge of that horrendous period in American history shouldn't miss the satisfying tale." - Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, Author of The Sweeter Juice

"In Where I'm Bound, Allen B. Ballard has given us the smell of combat, the horror and comedy of slavery, the richness and complexities of love, [and] the nuances of history all wrapped in a riveting story about black soldiers making their way through the whirlwind of the Civil War. This is a stunning novel!" - Roger Wilkins, Clarence J. Robinson Professor of American History and Culture, George Mason University