Civil War Letters of John W. Derr

Friday, July 7, 2023

Last of the "Letters Series" of Books

I will be releasing the last book in the "Letters Series" in a few weeks. It will be available in hard cover, soft cover and eBook formats on Amazon. This book will put the last bookend on the life and times of John W. Derr and his wife Magdalena. I published the books a bit out of order with the first book being the end of their story...Widow's Due...and now this last book being the start of the story. I Take My Pen in Hand is more of a compendium and a reader's guide for both books and sits in the middle of the group in the series. But enough of that...

Coming in July, 2023 is A Horribly Beautiful Life, the story of John W. Derr from his birth until his death. It overlaps A Widow's Due and is also consistent with the letters printed in I Take My Pen in Hand.

I want to thank all of my readers for their kind words and suggestions on these writings. They mean a lot to me and I believe that the suggestions have made me a better writer. Though this is the end of the "Letters Series"...it is not the end of my writing. I will be exploring other topics that rattle around in my brain and hopefully can put them to paper.

Stay tuned for the release of my new book...A Horribly Beautiful Life. Thank you.

You can check on the status of the books as well as order via:

www.jamespderr.com

Jim

Thursday, June 3, 2021

A New Year...A New Book....

After many years of research and translation, I have finally completed my second book. I Take My Pen In Hand is the compilation of forty-nine letters written home by my great-great grandfather, John W. Derr. The letters span the period of September 1861, when he enlisted in the Union Army in the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, until July of 1865, when he was mustered out.

The book includes narratives on the terms, phraseology, and timeline for John and his famous regiment. John was a farmer who decided to add some adventure to his otherwise mundane life, by enlisting along with friends and family members. The letters tell the story of a common soldier more interested in the caretaking of his money, then of the battles he fought. Wounded and captured once, sick many times, the book captures the rapid change in his attitude about war as his life was forever changed.

I Take My Pen In Hand is a reading companion for my first book, A Widow's Due, putting John's post war life into perspective.

I hope you enjoy both books.

They can be found on Amazon.

I Take My Pen In Hand

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096GTDVPH/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=james+derr&qid=1622723971&sr=8-2

A Widow's Due

https://www.amazon.com/Widows-Due-James-P-Derr/dp/B091NPSMF6/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=james+derr&qid=1622723971&sr=8-3

Jim D

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Another Update on A Widow's Due

The book is now available in all three readable formats; Kindle, Hardcover and Paperback. Each, of course, with their own price point.

The latest version is the paperback, of which I am extremely pleased. I decided to do the paperback in the same size as the hardcover (6x9), vs. the mass marketing style of 4x7 or 4x8. I think it just looks nicer and feels and reads more like a hardcover. I hope you enjoy it.

I am still waiting on Amazon approval for the hardcover to be available there (it can can 2-4 months for them to approve of the book quality). So, the book is available in hardcover from Lulu publishing at:

https://www.lulu.com/search?q=a+widow%27s+due&adult_audience_rating=00

This is a print to order service, so it takes a few weeks after ordering to have the book printed and shipped. The price is higher than normal, since this is a self published book. By the time you print, pay publishers fees and distribute/ship, the cost goes up. In a few months, the book will be available on Amazon under a Global Distribution agreement. Sometimes these distributors have discounts available that are publicized, so I encourage you to look for the 10-20% discount promotions that are run routinely. In the case of Lulu, I have found that the discount codes are usually located right on the home page of lulu.com. Check it out before you order there.

The Kindle version (to buy or to read free if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited) and the paperback version are available at Amazon at:

https://www.amazon.com/Widows-Due-James-Derr/dp/B08HTB492V/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=a+widow%27s+due&qid=1601558373&sr=8-1

Thank you to all who have already purchased the book and have sent comments, recommendations and congratulations. I really appreciate the feedback. Interestingly enough, I have had a few folks ask me questions outside of the timeframe covered in the book. For example, there were quite a few questions about John Derr's army service during the Civil War. This blog covers quite a bit of that information, but I have decided to begin a second book dedicated to that service, which follows the Letters he wrote home during the war. That will come out later this year, or early next. So for those interested...stay tuned.

Lastly, a third book is also in the works which will cover the full life of John W. Derr. It will overlap, somewhat, A Widow's Due and the second (yet to be named) book mentioned above. That will come out later in 2021.

I have opened up a separate website for the books and in the future this blog will migrate to this new website. You can see more here:

www.jamespderr.com

and email can be sent to info@jamespderr@gmail.com

Of course, the email for this blog is still open at:

jwdletters@gmail.com

Jim D

Welcome

With 2011 being the 150th year since the start of the American Civil War, I thought it would be appropriate for me to share letters written by my great-great grandfather, John W. Derr during the course of the war. I have completed posting each letter on the 150th anniversary of their creation (mostly!). Since Private Derr did not write his letters in a consistent pattern...sometimes there are gaps in time better one letter and the next...This blog includes gap filler with other information relevant to him and his regiment. As I posted each letter, I created a corresponding link on the right side of the webpage to provide easy access and reference as you read each posting. I hope you enjoy the history of this common soldier during the most tumultuous time in our nation's history.

Additionally, I recently completed a long anticipated project by publishing a book "A Widow's Due" in June of 2020. This book is primarily about the life of my Great-great grandmother, Magdalena Diehl Derr, the widow of John W. Derr. It is based on years of research and much documentation, and whereas it is a work of "creative non-fiction", it is accurate and true to the documents and records I was able to find. Please visit my other website relating to the book as well as other upcoming projects at: www.jamespderr.com. Thank you.

Biography of Private John W. Derr

John W. Derr (JWD) was born in Barry Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania on October 7, 1839.

He enlisted in the Union Army in September of 1861 and was mustered into the 48^th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Company D at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg Pa, in that same month. From Harrisburg, the 48^th PVI transitioned through Baltimore, MD and then down the Chesapeake Bay to Fort Monroe in Virginia. From there, the 48^th PVI was attached to the larger Burnsides Expedition to North Carolina (Hatteras/New Berne area). After the North Carolina expedition the 48^th PVI was moved north and participated in the 2^nd battle of Bull Run, where JWD was wounded on August 29^th, 1862 and taken prisoner. He was paroled by the Confederates, and was transported to Georgetown College Hospital in Washington, D.C. After staying in Washington and missing the battles of Antietam and South Mountain, he was transferred to the Cherry and Broad Street hospital in Philadelphia, Pa in December of 1863. He was subsequently furloed home for further recuperation.

His unit was then detached for guard duty in Kentucky and Tennessee, where his unit re-enlisted in December 1863 at Blains Crossroads, TN. In 1864, the 48^th PVI was involved in Grant’s campaigns of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, Cold Harbor, etc…and eventually the Petersburg Campaign. JWD, as part of the 48^th PVI was integral in the digging of the Mine Crater. Documentation of his participation in the actual mining activities and subsequent illness from the damp/cold conditions are documented in his post mortem pension application by his widow, Magdalena Derr. Pension affidavits by his fellow soldiers indicate that his participation in the mining activities, along with his wounding at 2^nd Bull Run were the primary cause of his early death in 1876

In addition to his participation in the Petersburg Siege, JWD participated in the 1863 Army review by President Lincoln in Washington, D.C., the Grand Review of 1865 in Washington, D.C.

He was mustered out of the Army in July of 1865 and returned home to live out his remaining short life, dying on January 12, 1876 at age 37.