Books by Gene Barr

';Barr's engaging and revealing collection of letters from Lincoln country directly links the battlefield with the home front' (Randall M. Miller, editor of Lincoln &Leadership). More than 150 years ago, twenty-seven-year-old Irish immigrant Josiah Moore met nineteen-year-old Jennie Lindsay, a member of one of Peoria, Illinois's most prominent families. The Civil War had just begun, Josiah was the captain of the 17th Illinois Infantry, and his war would be a long and bloody one. Their courtship and romance, which came to light in a rare and unpublished series of letters, form the basis of Gene Barr's memorable book. Josiah and Jennie's letters shed significant light on the important role played by a soldier's sweetheart on the home front, and a warrior's observations from the war front. In addition to this deeply moving and often riveting correspondence, Barr includes previously unpublished material on the 17th Illinois and the war's Western Theater, including Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, and the lesser known Meridian Campaignactions that have historically received much less attention than similar battles in the Eastern Theater. The result is a rich, complete, and satisfying story of love, danger, politics, and warfareone you won't soon forget. ';A delightful read on many levels: the stilted Victorian language in the letters quickly becomes easy to understand as the reader watches the relationship between Joshua and Jennie evolve into a full-fledged love affairone that lasted a lifetime.' Emerging Civil War ';In this rare and remarkable collection of letters readers come to know two young lovers brought together and then separated by the exigencies of war.' TerrenceJ. Winschel, author of Triumph & Defeat: The Vicksburg Campaign

The story of Josiah, Jennie, the men of the 17th and their families tracks the toll on our nation during the war and allows us to explore the often difficult recovery after the last gun sounded in 1865.