Throughout their long separation, the couple shares their passionate longing for each other, their fantasies, and their apprehensions about mutual faithfulness--expressions that certainly challenge the broad assumption that "Victorians" did not speak of these matters. Another important dimension to Foster's letters is that he had an especially keen eye for detail, reflected in occasional drawings of subjects as varied as pontoon boats across the Rappahannock or the new corps badges adopted by the Union Army, and a talent for colorful language in speaking of events or personalities. At his best, Foster's comments about the war as seen from a soldier in the field rival anything that has been published. The legacy of Lieutenant Foster's letters reveal a man who lived almost 150 years ago as a man of detail, purpose, and passion. To say the least, the Civil War had an immeasurable effect on Lieutenant Foster, his family, his wife. No readers of LETTERS FROM THE STORM can come away without a true sense of what life was during that time and not be affected themselves. Indexed, 53 illustrations and photos 365 pages, 7 x 10 soft cover Book Review: Excerpts from the May 2012 issue of the Civil War Courier, by Duane Benell, CWC Reviewer:
John Alexander Hastings Foster, a 28 year old from Armstrong Co., Pennsylvania enlisted August 7, 1862 into Co. K, 155th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment as 4th Sergeant, leaving behind a wife and a three-year-old son. This book is based upon 101 letters he wrote mainly to his wife from 1862 to 1865…..
Foster had a good vocabulary and wrote long detailed letters. He had the ability to describe what he saw and did, which makes the letters interesting.…some of the letters do have some intimate sexual writings, which I have not come across before in published letters or diaries of soldiers. He was no doubt expressing the thoughts and desires that most soldiers had….
There are good footnotes that help identify persons, places and events. The author, a great great granddaughter [of] Foster has done a fine job, as has the editor, in producing this excellent book. She was very fortunate to have these detailed and interesting letters still in the family. I do not hesitate to recommend this excellent book to all readers who enjoy reading first hand accounts of the Civil War by the ordinary soldier.
Read a sample of the Lieutenant’s actual words…
“We passed an awful night, it rained all the time, our clothes were all wet, and our feet I can assure you were in no enviable condition. We had to lie down just as we were, we had no chance to dry anything for it was raining and blowing so much that to stay out of the tent we would be nearly frozen. And to stay in we were nearly as bad, it kept the wind off us but there we had to stay, four of us in about six feet square….I hear this morning that the citizens of Pittsburgh have furnished 800 Gum Blankets for the Reg’t. I wish they were here we could keep ourselves a little more comfortable, we could keep ourselves something dryer at any rate. We dare not even take straw to lay in the bottom of our tents…. I have carried four or five armsfull of cedar boughs and spread in the bottom of ours, but still I can feel the water under me when I lie down. The boys are trying to start some fires this morning but as yet they are very small and don’t do a great deal of good. Everything is so wet that it will not burn, and there is no rails near or any other kind of wood that will burn that can be got.”