Gettysburg author Jessica James might have just the ticket for readers looking for a Valentine’s Day treat. She describes her 2011 e-book, “From the Heart: Civil War Letters and Stories from the Civil War,” as showing “the softer side of some of the great figures of the Civil War.”
In an email, she explained that Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, “known in military circles as somewhat cruel and quite the audacious military leader,” also had a sentinmental side. In one letters, Jackson wrote:
“Darling, my heart turns to you with a love so great that pain flows in its wake. You cannot understand this, my beautiful, bright-eyed, sunny-hearted princess. Your face is the sweetest face in all the world, mirroring, as it does, all that is pure and unselfish, and I must not cast a shadow over it by the fears that come to me, in spite of myself.
“No, a soldier should not know fear of any kind. I must fight and plan and hope, and you must pray. Pray for a realization of all our beautiful dreams, sitting beside our own hearthstone in our own home—you and I, you my goddess of devotion, and I your devoted slave. May God in his mercy spare my life and make it worthy of you!…”
The letters came from James’ research as she wrote her 2008 novel, “Shades of Gray.” The e-book is available on Amazon.com as a Kindle download for 99 cents, or from smashwords.com in a variety of formats for $1.99.
Read past posts on Jessica James:
– James releases “Shades of Gray” (2008)
– “Shades of Gray” wins Best Regional Fiction (2008)
– James’ novel “Noble Cause” wins John Esten Cooke Award for Fiction (2011)
– “Noble Cause” a finalist in The USA Book News “Best Books 2011″ awards (2011)
— “Noble Cause” a Bronze winner for the Book of the Year Award (2012)
