Though all of the soldiers whose letters are excerpted in Civil War Soldiers of Greater Cleveland: Letters Home to Cuyahoga County did their bit, they had differing views on the war, race relations and President Lincoln. Historian Dale Thomas uses the letters of members of the 103rd and 124th Regiments of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry to reveal the daily lives of soldiers who did more marching than fighting.
The most prolific of the correspondents is Nathan Hawkins, born in 1832 near Kirtland. Like his father, he became an abolitionist, and he was a good, articulate writer. He married his sweetheart, Lucy, in December 1853. By the time the war started, he was 30 years old and reluctant to enlist because he had children to support, but he thought it his duty and, along with his wife’s brother, signed up.
Nathan’s scores of letters to Lucy on the 103rd’s long march to Tennessee reveal his optimistic nature. He assured her that he ate and slept well, did not drink or carouse like other soldiers, and asked repeatedly for a picture of their youngest daughter. The barbarity of the notorious Andersonville prison camp is confirmed in a late chapter.
Civil War Soldiers of Greater Cleveland (144 pages, softcover) costs $19.99 from History Press. Dale Thomas is an alumnus of Kent State University and Case Western Reserve University, and is a retired high school social studies teacher.
Books for children
• R.M. “Rusty” Alderman’s storybook Dress Up is the first in an announced series called “Daddy’s Little Princess,” and features a girl who has a costume trunk full of dresses and hats. In rhyme, she tells of pretending to be a ship’s captain, cowgirl or veterinarian, but her favorite role is when her father comes home and she can be “Daddy’s little princess.”
The 17-page softcover book costs $9.99 from online retailers. Rusty Alderman lives in Barberton and also has written an apocalyptic novel called Passing of the First World.
• New Middletown resident Todd F. Bryarly has invented a friendly firetruck character to demonstrate the virtues of helpfulness in Rescue Wheels.
Bruce the firetruck gets a call from his gray-haired grandma, who has “Retired” painted on her side. She tells him she’s under the weather and asks him to run some errands for her. So off he rolls to feed her pets, water her garden with his snorkel hose, do her laundry and marketing, and go to the post office and bank before picking up a movie.
The story ends with Grandma praising Bruce for his unselfishness, and a preview of future books featuring Sally the ambulance and Pete the cop car. The paperback book costs $6.99 from www.rescuewheels.com. Todd F. Bryarly works for an accounting firm.
Events
Barnes & Noble (198 Crocker Park Blvd., Westlake) — Carol Aebersold, author of The Elf on the Shelf: A Birthday Tradition, appears at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Highland Square branch, 807 W. Market St., Akron) — Brimfield Police Chief David Oliver, author of No Mopes Allowed: A Small Town Police Chief Rants and Babbles about Hugs and High Fives, Meth Busts, Internet Celebrity, and Other Adventures, appears from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Willoughby Coal and Supply (3872 Erie St., Willoughby) — Eric Olson and paranormal investigator Theresa Argie, who blogs as “The Haunted Housewife,” launch America’s Most Haunted: The Secrets of Famous Paranormal Places, at the historic site, rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of two men who died there, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Space limited; contact the authors at t.argie@yahoo.com or eric.olsen@themortonreport.com.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Strongsville branch, 18700 Westwood Drive) — Historian Alan Dutka talks about and signs Cleveland Calamities: A History of Storm, Fire, and Pestilence, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Registration requested; call 440-238-5530.
College of Wooster (McGaw Chapel, 340 E. University St.) — Novelist Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club, The Valley of Amazement) speaks on The Heart of a Writer as part of the Wooster Forum, whose focus this year is East Asia, 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Mayfield branch, 500 SOM Center Road) — David Oliver talks about No Mopes Allowed from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
E.J. Thomas Hall (198 Hill St., University of Akron) — Novelist (The Mosquito Coast) and travel writer Paul Theroux is the keynote speaker for the University of Akron’s China Week, speaking on China — The Years Between Mao and Modernism, and begins the 2014-2015 Forum Series, 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Upcoming guests include Piper Kerman (Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison), Oct. 14 and Jane Pauley (Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life), Nov. 13. Individual tickets are $10; call 330-972-7570.
Barnes & Noble (381 Boardman-Poland Road, Youngstown) — Stephen Snyder-Hill, author of Soldier of Change: From the Closet to the Forefront of the Gay Rights Movement, talks about his experiences as a gay soldier, 6 p.m. Friday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Fairview Park branch, 21255 Lorain Road) — Rachele Alpine, author of Canary, presents a teen writing workshop on generating story ideas for students in sixth to 12th grades, 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. Registration required; call 440-333-4700.
Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson) — Stow author Les Roberts talks about Wet Work, second in a series about contract killer Dominick Candiotti, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Chagrin Falls branch, 100 E. Orange St.) — David Oliver talks about No Mopes Allowed from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Beachwood Community Center (25325 Fairmount Blvd.) — Bestselling author Gary Shteyngart talks about his memoir Little Failure, which includes childhood in Leningrad and education at Oberlin College, 7 p.m. Oct. 6. Advance tickets are $15, which includes a copy of the book; admission at the door is $17. See www.eventbrite.com.
— Barbara McIntyre
Special to the Beacon Journal
Send information about books of local interest to Lynne Sherwin, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309 or lsherwin@thebeaconjournal.com. Event notices should be sent at least two weeks in advance.