History Book Group Meeting

This month the History Book Group is reading  Remember Me to All the Friends: Civil War Letters from George W. Harwood, Massachusetts 36th, by Janet M. Drake.

In 1862, George W. Harwood of North Brookfield enlisted for three years with the 36th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers. This book is the collection of letters he wrote home. His regiment travelled with the 9th Corps under General Ambrose E. Burnside through MD, VA, KY, MS, and TN. The 9th Corps was sometimes referred to as the “wandering corps” as they travelled across a large portion of the area where Civil War engagements took place, from east to west and then back east, participating in several major battles. Harwood provided an excellent description of the war and the land from a soldier’s perspective.

Local Author!   Jan Drake grew up in Needham, and graduated from Needham High School. She went to Hobart & William Smith College in New York where she majored in Chemistry, and then went on to Simmons College in Boston for a master’s degree in Library Science. Jan has just retired from a long and productive career in libraries, most recently at the Wellesley Public Library.  Jan has always been interested in history, family stories, and artifacts. Her first paying job was with a Needham antiques dealer.  George Harwood was Jan’s great-grandfather’s cousin and his letters are in Jan’s keeping.

This book is available for sale in our Gift Shop, https://needhamhistory.org/shop/books/