Jim Dohren is the author of a new book, Letters from a Shoebox, that has been published by Sunbury Press.
The book is based on a collection of Civil War letters passed on to him in a shoebox by family members. His book is unusual among similar collections because it balances the letters from soldiers in the field with those of five young women, kin and neighbors, all showing concerns for one other’s welfare and most especially for news in the form of another letter.
Jim spent several years studying and researching the correspondence, which has enabled him to provide the reader with context and meaning for the letters. The book offers not only the results of his research, but also his personal reflections on the letter writers and the times.
In all, there are 22 letters that he has transcribed, preserving the vagaries of grammar and spelling prevalent at the time. The letters offer insights into the daily life of military campaigns and life on the home front. Scattered throughout are prints taken from pictures/paintings of battles and places mentioned in the letters. Toward the end of the book, Jim provides an after-the-war update on the family.
The soldiers writing home are John and David Huffman, school teacher brothers enlisted in the 85th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and William Bowman, a young hired hand who enlisted in the storied 126th Ohio.
The 85th Indiana eventually joined the Army of the Cumberland and Sherman’s March-to-the-Sea. Letters are written from various places along the march. Bowman is an orphan farm boy who becomes part of The Army of The Potomac. He is captured in the Battle of the Wilderness and spends many months in Confederate prisons at Libby and Florence, S.C. One of the letters is from infamous Andersonville, letting his friends know that he is a prisoner there. Bowman manages through luck and courage to survive that abominable place.
The replies from home are written by the Huffman brothers’ sisters, sister-in-law and a young friend. They are filled with concern for the soldiers, plus fascinating news of sickness and death, joys and sorrows, romance and other poignant activities of everyday life.
Jim is a retired history teacher who resides in Downer’s Grove, Ill. He can be contacted at jsdohren@AOL.com.
Letters from a Shoebox can be purchased at the Sunbury Press web site at www.sunburypress.com and through Amazon.com. It’s also available as an e-book to download to electronic reading devices.
