Dear Mother: The Civil War Letters of George Washington Waterman, 39th Ohio Volunteer Infantry

by George Washington Waterman, Melaine Mahaffey (Editor)

Peer directly into the daily life of Civil War “soldiering” through the remarkable original letters of Private George Washington Waterman of the 39th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving from mid-1861 until early 1864. George Washington Waterman was a direct descendant of two prominent Revolutionary War doctors and veterans, Dr. Elijah Skeels and Dr. Luther Waterman, whose pioneer families traveled west simultaneously, converging in southeastern Ohio’s Hocking River Valley in the 1830s.

209 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2019

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 star This book is an insightful and touching collection of letters that were written home to an Ohio soldier’s mother. The editor added family genealogy and historical Civil War context, I felt as though I knew poor George.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I was glad you kept them (the letters). I did not think I had written so many to you. It will be pleasant to look over them if I ever get home….It will be quite a memorandum. Your ever loving Son, Geo Waterman”

George Washington Waterman’s letters are a rich legacy, not only for those with a real interest in the Civil War, but for anyone with a heart. In the letters home to his mother, Waterman is poignant and practical, a genuine voice describing the life of a soldier during the war. In Mahaffey’s touching tribute, she augments the letters with insightful introductions so even those with little knowledge of the history of the war are drawn into the story. This book gives you a glimpse of what it was like to be a young Union soldier during the Civil War. I could not put it down.