Residents of History: A Novel about the Civilians of Gettysburg

by Nathan Greene, Mathew B. Brady (Photographer)

In a taped interview for the Works Progress Administration during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Friemuth, who were teenagers during the Battle of Gettysburg, reminisce on the experiences of the people of Gettysburg during the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. The cover photograph of John Burns, " The Hero of Gettysburg," the 69-year-old man who grabbed a rifle on the first day of battle and joined the fray, is by famed Civil War photographer Mathew Brady. John Burns was the one man that Abraham Lincoln wished to meet when he arrived in Gettysburg in November of 1863 to deliver "a few appropriate remarks" at the dedication of a National Cemetery. Burns' story as well as dozens of others make up the vignettes of the novel.

451 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 23, 2018

Reviews

[Tim Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many novels that deal with the Battle of Gettysburg and its soldiers and their leaders, that it is refreshing to see a novel about the civilians who lived in the tiny little Pennsylvania town in 1863. They were ordinary people caught up an extraordinary event. I found their stories interesting.
And sometimes, as in the case of John Burns inspiring; A 69 year-old man grabbed his rifle and joined the Union troops in battle and as a result was sought out by Lincoln when he came to Gettysburg to deliver his immortal address.