Synopses & Reviews
The Missouri History Museum archives are bursting with collections that provide firsthand accounts of both historic and everyday moments, but when archivist M. E. Kodner came across the James Love letters, she knew she had discovered something extraordinary.
My Dear Molly consists of the 166 letters that St. Louisan James Love wrote to his fiancandeacute;e, Eliza Mary andldquo;Mollyandrdquo; Wilson, during his Civil War service. The letters discuss the war, including activities in Missouri, battles, Loveandrsquo;s life as a soldier, and his time in a Confederate prison, in addition to detailing the love story of James and Molly. Spanning the entire Civil War period, the letters give a full account of both the ongoing conflict and the many different aspects of Loveandrsquo;s life, making
My Dear Molly a unique contribution to our literature of the time period.
The book opens with a prologue describing Loveandrsquo;s life before the war, including his immigration to the United States from Ireland, his early career, and a trip to Australia he took in the 1850s. The body of the text consists of his letters and is divided into three sections: Loveandrsquo;s early service with the Fifth US Reserve Corps, most of which was spent in Missouri; his service with the Eighth Kansas Infantry, which includes descriptions of military life and battle, ending with him being wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga and taken prisoner; and his years in various Confederate prisons and his attempts to escape. Each portion of the book begins with an introduction to place the letters in their historical context and to briefly explain the events and people that Love mentions in his letters. It concludes with an epilogue describing his final, successful escape, his life with Molly after the war, how the letters came to the Missouri History Museum, and Kodnerandrsquo;s discovery of her connections through family friends to James and Mollyandrsquo;s descendants. My Dear Molly is a remarkable, riveting volume that will add much to our knowledge of the Civil War periodandmdash;its battles and conflicts as well as the experiences of ordinary Americans like James and Molly.
Review
andldquo;An unusually fine and valuable collection of primary material. It provides insight into the early war situation in Missouri and Kansas, the burdens of small-unit command and administration, the areas in which the regiment served, Civil War era courtship, and especially Loveandrsquo;s prison experiences. . . . Highly recommended.andrdquo;
Synopsis
The Missouri History Museum Archives is full of collections that provide firsthand accounts of both historic and everyday events, and give readers a more personal understanding of history. The James Love letters create a great book because the letters cover the entire span of the war and discuss many different aspects of his life.
and#160;
My Dear Molly consists of the 166 letters that St. Louisan James E. Love wrote to his fiancand#233;e, Eliza Mary and#147;Mollyand#8221; Wilson, during his Civil War service from 1861 to 1865. The letters discuss the Civil War, including activities in Missouri, battles, a soldierand#8217;s life, and prisons, and follow the love story of James and Molly. The book begins with a prologue that describes Loveand#8217;s life before the war, including his immigration to the United States from Ireland, his early career, and his trip to Australia in the 1850s. The information for this section comes primarily from Loveand#8217;s reminiscences. The main part of the text, the letters, is divided into three sections: Loveand#8217;s early service with the 5th U.S. Reserve Corps, most of which was spent in Missouri; his service with the 8th Kansas Infantry, which includes descriptions of military life and battle, ending with him being wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga and taken prisoner; and his years in various Confederate prisons and his attempts to escape. Each section begins with an introduction to place the letters in their historical context and briefly explain the events and people that Love mentions in his letters. The book concludes with an epilogue describing his final, successful escape, his life with Molly after the war, how the letters came to the Missouri History Museum, and the authorand#8217;s discovery of her links, through family friends, to James and Mollyand#8217;s descendants.
About the Author
M. E. Kodner is an associate archivist at the Missouri History Museum.
Table of Contents
Prologue Section 1
Fifth United States Reserve Corps
June 1861-February 1862
Section 2
Eighth Arkansas Infantry
March 1862-September 1863
Section 3
Prison
October 1863-February 1865
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Sources
Index