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Preserve It Reader in Remembrance of Me: The Writings and Saga of American Civil War Soldier George W. Belles, by Ron Bardnell
To me the Civil War letters and diary entries of my wife’s great-great-grandfather, Cpl. George Belles, 139th Pa. Vols., represent the voice of the forgotten soldier--and there many. At wars end, the physically able survivors --the foot soldiers, the cavalrymen, the artillerymen, and other enlisted man and women--returned home and resumed civilian life. The store clerk once positioned in the assault line at Marye’s Heights, the farmer who took part in the daring predawn attack at Cedar Creek, the slight farm lad who bravely manned a precarious defensive position on Little Round Top, all slipped into American Civil War anonymity. Their lives changed forever, each had a story to tell. Seldom was it heard beyond the ears of family and close friends, if heard at all.
Arranged in chronological sequence, Corporal Belles’ nearly three year collection of Civil War letters and various diary entries is one such Civil War soldier’s story; an engrossing firsthand account of a young man’s Civil War experience, the transition of an ordinary young man to an extraordinary man. A combat veteran myself, an infantryman in Vietnam, I felt a kinship to George. His written gifts from the past had found their way to my doorstep. The forthright, foresighted soldier deeply desired his writings be preserved for the benefit of generations to come (an 1864 diary entry). Hence, Preserve It Reader in Remembrance of Me: The Writings and Saga of American Civil War Soldier George W. Belles, came to be.
It was a pleasure and privilege to fulfill Cpl. Belles’ fervent plea. My hope is readers will find this work an enjoyable, insightful reading experience that renders a greater understanding and appreciation for the life and sacrifices of the American Civil War soldier.
You can find more information on this book at http://www.authorronbardnell,com
To me the Civil War letters and diary entries of my wife’s great-great-grandfather, Cpl. George Belles, 139th Pa. Vols., represent the voice of the forgotten soldier--and there many. At wars end, the physically able survivors --the foot soldiers, the cavalrymen, the artillerymen, and other enlisted man and women--returned home and resumed civilian life. The store clerk once positioned in the assault line at Marye’s Heights, the farmer who took part in the daring predawn attack at Cedar Creek, the slight farm lad who bravely manned a precarious defensive position on Little Round Top, all slipped into American Civil War anonymity. Their lives changed forever, each had a story to tell. Seldom was it heard beyond the ears of family and close friends, if heard at all.
Arranged in chronological sequence, Corporal Belles’ nearly three year collection of Civil War letters and various diary entries is one such Civil War soldier’s story; an engrossing firsthand account of a young man’s Civil War experience, the transition of an ordinary young man to an extraordinary man. A combat veteran myself, an infantryman in Vietnam, I felt a kinship to George. His written gifts from the past had found their way to my doorstep. The forthright, foresighted soldier deeply desired his writings be preserved for the benefit of generations to come (an 1864 diary entry). Hence, Preserve It Reader in Remembrance of Me: The Writings and Saga of American Civil War Soldier George W. Belles, came to be.
It was a pleasure and privilege to fulfill Cpl. Belles’ fervent plea. My hope is readers will find this work an enjoyable, insightful reading experience that renders a greater understanding and appreciation for the life and sacrifices of the American Civil War soldier.
You can find more information on this book at http://www.authorronbardnell,com
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