Ever True: Civil War Letters of Private Charles McDowell, New York Ninth Heavy Artillery

by Lisa Saunders

The transcribed letters of Charles McDowell and his wife, Nancy, display remarkable devotion, and offer readers a unique perspective of the Civil War. These letters contain little known details hangings, prostitution, amputations, desertions, theft and murder among Union troops. Charles also describes personal contacts with Lincoln and Seward (of "Seward's Alaskan Folly"); battles of Cold Harbor, Jerusalem Plank Road, Monocacy, Opequon, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek; the Siege of Petersburg; Mosby's Men; and the Shenandoah Valley and Appomattox Campaign. The Ninth Heavy Artillery was a part of the Sixth Corps. This story is cohesive and informative yet charming and romantic in a very personal way. Vintage photographs enhance the text.

186 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

Through researching letters and out-of-print books, award-winning writer Lisa Saunders sheds new light on historic figures and events. Through her memoirs, she talks with you, not at you--"no holds barred." She created a little history of her own by helping Connecticut become the second state in the U.S. to combat the leading viral cause of birth defects. She works as a part-time history interpreter at Mystic Seaport and teaches classes on memoir writing and publishing at New London Adult & Continuing Education. A graduate of Cornell University, she is the author of several books and winner of the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations Gold Medallion. She is the parent representative of the Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Foundation.