Common Men in the War for the Common Man

About the Book

This is the never before told story of hundreds of Americans who went to war in defense of their beliefs, to seek adventure and to see some of the world beyond their rural Pennsylvania neighborhoods. Developed largely in the words of the soldiers of the 145th Pennsylvania Infantry, Common Men highlights some of the men's lives before the war and then carries the reader through trials and triumphs from enlistment, Jubilant send-off, action from Antietam through Gettysburg and casualty, Democracy and the Union are sustained through the actions of common men, men not always given the best of orders.

About the Author

Dr. Verel Salmon grew up hearing stories of his ancestor, First Sergeant George Washington Salmon, who fought in the American Civil War. A teacher, school district administrator and farmer, Common Men is the culmination of thirty years of his research which carried him from archives to attics to retracing the journey the 145th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry from stifling marches to camp life to explosive fields of battle. Married with four children and a growing number of grandchildren, Salmon maintains his ties to the soil as did most of the young recruits who responded to Lincoln's calf for troops.