Civil War Book Talk

Author Amy Truesdell will hold a talk and Q&A about her book From Binghamton to the Battlefield: The Civil War Letters of Rollin B. Truesdell. A book signing will be held after the talk. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. Open to all. Presented by the Berlin Public Library and the Berlin Historical Society.

Talk description: From Binghamton to the Battlefield: The Civil War Letters of Rollin B. Truesdell traces the experiences of author Truesdell’s great-great-grandfather from the time he rushed from the family farm to answer President Lincoln’s first call for volunteers, until he mustered out of the Union Army. Rollin, brother of early Berlin settler John Calvin Truesdell and uncle of father of the fur industry Harry C. Truesdell, served in the 27th NY Volunteers. Rollin fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the first two years of the Civil War. A prolific letter writer, Rollin wrote with clarity and wit of what he saw and felt as a Union soldier. Using the 100+ letters Rollin penned for his family as a guide, Truesdell will share the arc of Rollin’s experience as he transformed from eager, raw recruit to war-weary, battle-tested veteran who remained steadfast in his commitment to victory for the North.

Author Bio: Amy is a writer and consultant whose appreciation of family and cultural history led her to fulfill a long-held dream of narrating the Civil War experiences of her great-great-grandfather. Formerly she was a lead foreign affairs officer with the U.S. Department of State specializing in conflict resolution in Central and East Africa.