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This collection of 139 letters from six of the seven Gould brothers who left their homes in central New York to fight for the Union Army forms a moving depiction, not only of life on the front lines of the Civil War, but of life on the home front as well. These letters, written to their beloved sister Hannah, span the entire four years of the conflict and run the gamut from initial enlistment to eventual death or discharge. Through the eyes of the Goulds, an immigrant English family struggling to make a new life, one is able to experience this major American historical event with a new understanding.
Unfortunately, Hannah's letters to her brothers at the front are lost forever, victims of the fighting; but the vivid responses of her brothers speak to her own questions and concerns about the crisis that was tearing families apart. With only minor annotation and amendment, these letters tell a most important story of separation and domestic change. They reveal the plight of an individual family in the midst of turmoil.
List of contents
Preface
Introduction
1861: Charles, Wesley
1862: Charles, Wesley, James, Richard, William
1863: Wesley, James, Richard, William
1864: Wesley, James, Richard, William, George
1865: Wesley, James, Richard, William, George, Henry
Epilogue
Index
About the author
Robert F. Harris has spent nearly 30 years in education. With a PhD in education administration from the University of Pittsburgh, he has served as history teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools./e Author of several articles, he created a first person interpretation for the Eastern National Parks & Monument Association at Gettysburg where he is a licensed battlefield guide.
John Niflot is co-founder and president of the Basket Historical Society of the Upper Delaware Valley. A lifelong resident of the area, he now lives close to the original Gould settlement./e His interest for many years has been the preservation of the area's unique local history. His home is located on the site of the first local school house built by the Goulds in 1842.
