Connecticut in the American Civil War: Slavery, Sacrifice, and Survival

Acknowledgments

{ ix Acknowledgments
 It is with true appreciation that I dedicate this book to the “Crew,” a title used by the Hartford Courant in one of its articles about the wider Civil War project. Jim Brown, Gregg Cerosky, Kristin Duke, Jessica Jenkins, and Mike Sturges are graduate students at Central Connecticut State University ; Mark Shafer is a graduate student at Trinity College. They spent countless hours researching nineteenth-century newspapers, soldiers’ stories, regimental histories, and various other archival resources to help prepare this book for publication. They also read and commented on the manuscript, and offered important insights and suggestions for improvement . Each of them is a first-rate historian. I am also indebted to a number of other people who read the manuscript . Sally Whipple, the education coordinator at Connecticut’s Old State House and president of the Connecticut League of History Organizations , has been a steadfast friend and made wonderful suggestions that improved the book. Kathy Maher, executive director of the Barnum Museum, has only become a friend in the past year, but I feel as though I’ve known her forever. Sally and Kathy are DB I and DB II. Dean Nelson , the administrator of the Museum of Connecticut History, has been a remarkable resource on everything related to Connecticut and the Civil War. His constant refrain of “anything that is not the Civil War is an annoying distraction” has served me well. Dick Judd, president emeritus of Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), has been amazingly supportive of my work, read the entire manuscript, and is a real expert on the battle of Antietam. John Tully, my colleague in the History Department at CCSU, not only read the manuscript in a variety of incarnations but also listened to me pontificate on varying topics related to Connecticut and the Civil War. He’s a true friend, and very patient. Eileen Hurst, the associate director of the university’s Center for Social Research and Public Policy, also read the manuscript and always keeps me grounded at work. In a way, she’s my therapist. Steve McGrath, another CCSU colleague, offered valuable insights. Special thanks also go to Peter Hinks. Peter is an excellent historian and pushed me to better understand the contributions of black abolitionists in Connecticut. Robert Pierce Forbes, an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut, Torrington, helped in this regard as well. x } Acknowledgments I am also hugely indebted to my friend Bill Hoelzel, who, though not a professional historian or teacher, asked incredible questions and offered wonderful feedback from the perspective of a really smart guy who came to the subject of the Civil War with a little background information and a variety of assumptions about what it all means. He pushed me to think this through and did some fantastic editing to boot. He and his children, Tanner and Merrill, have become a part of my family. I also owe thanks to Leslie Gordon, a professor of history at the University of Akron, for helping me with material on the 16th Connecticut Regiment; Julie Frey, the curator of collections at the Litchfield Historical Society, for help on Josiah Beckwith and medical exemption certificates; and Paulette Kaufman, of the Madison Historical Society, for information on Sam Fiske. Finally, my thanks would not be complete without acknowledging a debt that can never be repaid to my wife, Wanda. Not only is she the nicest person I know, but she actually, finally, and completely, read one of my books. Remarkable! Thanks also for providing me with three great kids: Emma, Samantha, and Jessica. Connecticut in the American Civil War This page intentionally left blank ...