When it comes to interpreting history, nothing is more powerful than primary sources, first-hand accounts from contemporary sources, including diaries and personal letters. And when it comes to the Civil War, letters from soldiers on the battlefield are windows to the pain and agony of that American conflict and the soldier’s longing for loved ones at home. Such letters are considered historical gold.

Author, Daniel McClenahen explains, “Hilands’ letters offer a great insight into the experiences of a local man encountered in the Civil War. In the letters he mention numerous Mifflin County men and gives information about their daily lives.  The letters also offer a view of the human side of war and of a father and husband missing his family. Hilands and his wife also discuss events at home during the war.”

The compelling reflections contained in the letters, each closed with the formal “A.T. Hilands” signature to wife Mary gives the reader a true window on the humanity of lives lived over 150 years ago.  McClenahen notes, “The letters give a very different slant to the Civil War than a general history would give.”

319 pgs., illustrated

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