Author Rachael Mellen - The Civil War Letters of William J. Kennedy

Author Rachael Mellen speaks about her latest book: From Camp Douglas to Vicksburg: The Civil War Letters of William J. Kennedy, 55th Illinois Infantry, 1861?1863, which follows the story of local Civil War veteran William Kennedy. In August 1861 William Kennedy was a harness-maker living in LaSalle, Illinois. Married with four young children, he volunteered to recruit a company in response to Lincoln?s call for more troops. During the next two years, he saw action at Shiloh, Corinth, Chickasaw Bayou, and finally the Siege of Vicksburg. Observant, patriotic and sometimes cynical, Kennedy?s letters give us an intriguing picture of how people of the North really experienced the war. Rachael E. Mellen is a graduate of the University of London, U.K. and was awarded a master?s in humanities from California State University Dominguez Hills. Rachael has published several books on English genealogy as well as numerous articles. She has taught genealogy classes and given presentations to many organizations. She is currently president of the LaSalle County Genealogy Guild and lives in Peru, Illinois, with her daughter Alice.