Imperative Duty to My Country.

The CiviI War Journals of James Hobbs Hewett, Major Eighth Maine Volunteers is a unique volume among Civil War books because of the perserverance of Brian S. Heintzelman who transcribed the journals and spent years researching each of the men mentioned in Hewett's writings. Through that research, he documented every soldier's life and found photographs of many of them that are reproduced in the book.

More than simply information, his footnotes weave together the individual stories of the men and provide a glimpse into the personal facts about the soldiers, all of whom come alive to the reader who learns where each man lived, what he did in civilian life, and in many cases, physical and personality traits.

The author also wrote the forward, prefaces to the three parts of the book, and an afterword that recounts many of the good works and deeds Hewett performed once he returned to private life. By the time of his death, Hewett had become a treasured resident of Thomaston, one involved in many aspects of the community's organizations, both secular and spiritual.

Available through:
The Thomaston Historical Society. publr. 04861 www.thomastonhistoricalsociety.com; 20l-354-2295; Softcover, 222 pp, illustrations, $19.95 + Shipping & Handling
Also available from:
20th Maine Regt. Store. 49 West St., Freeport O4O32-1127. 207-865-4340;
or from the author:
Brian Heintzelman Box 1004, Salado, TX 76751-1004 254-947-5817