Soldier’s 150-Year-Old Letters Share Civil War Stories; Dennette McDermott Releases New Book
Natchitoches, LA (PRWEB) December 17, 2013 -- Imagine receiving an unforgettable glimpse into the past. That’s just what happened when author Dennette McDermott was given letters from her great-great-grandfather Dwight J. Brewer, born in 1842 in New York, who served with the 20th Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. In this new book McDermott shares some of those letters, which were kept in their original envelopes for 150 years.
“The Civil War Letters of Dwight J. Brewer in Facsimile” relays the stories of brave men in Company F who traveled from Fredericksburg to New Port News to Vicksburg to Cumberland and Knoxville. Their travails – and triumphs – come to light through letters Brewer wrote to his family as well as entries from his diary. Brewer, whose family moved to Michigan when he was a boy, enlisted as a private in Company F of the Michigan 20th Infantry -- made up of 12 companies -- on Aug. 9, 1862. He was discharged May 24, 1865, in Knoxville, Tenn.
From battlefield experiences to descriptions of camp life, readers can view scanned copies of the letters themselves, putting a face on the realities of the Civil War. After the war, Brewer would go on to buy 80 acres of farmland in Clare, Mich., serve as town clerk in 1870, justice of the peace in 1872 and treasurer in 1874. He and his wife, Carrie, had three children and helped found the Clare Congregational Church of Christ. Although Brewer survived the war, his desire to help others would prove to be his downfall: He died in 1881 of a head injury he received while helping a neighbor build a barn.
Author Dennette McDermott is professor of flue and coordinator of graduate studies in music at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. She received music degrees at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. Music performance has taken her to countries around the world, and she enjoys Czech music and publishing 18th century music manuscripts.
For additional information, please visit http://www.lettersofdwightjbrewer.com.
The Civil War Letters of Dwight J. Brewer in Facsimile
Dennette McDermott
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4575-2357-1 88 pages $16.95 US
Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and fine bookstores everywhere.
About Dog Ear Publishing, LLC
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