Last Tuesday, Jocelyn gave us a post on the Civil War and the fourth of July. A few days before that, her book, Wedded to War, released as our July River North Fiction title. Today, to celebrate her new release, we are giving away 5 copies of her book here on our blog! (That’s 5 terrific things, right?) 

But first, here are five other terrific things you might not know about the Civil War:

1. Companies within regiments were given letters to identify them, beginning with “A”. When assigning letters, they skipped over “J” because it looked too much like an “S” or an “I”. (Source: Bits of Blue and Gray)

2. The Union used hot air balloons to spot enemy soldiers. These balloons were in use for almost two years throughout the Civil War. (Source: CNN.com)

3. General Grant was once asked what his favorite war tune was. He is supposed to have responded,  ”I only know two songs. One is Yankee Doodle Dandy. The other isn’t.” (Source: CivilWarStudies.org) (To see more Civil War songs and poems, read Jocelyn’s post from June!)

4. The Civil War armies were not all male. Unlike the heroine of Jocelyn’s novel, Charlotte Waverly, who becomes a nurse for the Union, some women got involved in the army by pretending to be men and enlisting. Many of these women kept up their alternate identities long after the war was over, because of the independence it provided. (Source: CNN.com)

5. Continue reading / Leave a comment…

Guest post by Jocelyn Green

I love celebrating the Fourth of July! Some of it has to do with the fact that I married my military husband on Independence Day weekend in Washington, D.C. nine years ago. The fireworks display was perfect for both our wedding and of course, our country.

There were no fireworks on the Fourth of July for the characters in my Civil War novel, Wedded to War, however. In 1862, the infamous Seven Days Battle had just ended on the Virginia Peninsula on July 1, and I’m quite sure the soldiers and the nurses had lost track of the actual date in the rush to provide medical care to the wounded.

July 4, 1863, marked two hugely significant events in the war—it was the day Lee retreated after three days of gruesome fighting in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and it was also the day Vicksburg, Mississippi, finally surrendered to Grant after a 47-day siege that compelled its starving citizens to eat rats and birds in order to survive. Vicksburg would not celebrate the Fourth of July again for 81 years.

The Civil War was full of human drama. My new Heroines Behind the Lines Civil War series is all about recognizing the tragedy of war, but showcasing the triumphs—both personal and national—on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line. My first book, Wedded to War, explores the role women played in the medical care of the Union army in those first early days of the war. I could tell you about it, but I’d much rather let you see for yourself, with this amazing book trailer. Continue reading / Leave a comment…