The Professor, the Pacifist, and the Patriotic Farmer
Ernest Hemingway said, "Any man's life, told truly, is a novel." What is Memorial Day but a day to remember. I'll introduce three men from the greater Grinnell area who…
Snapshot of a divided family
Rev. William Salter walked in to the crude Federal field hospital near Marietta, Georgia in July 1864. Talking with pain-wracked Union troops drained Salter of energy and sympathy. He was…
The Devil’s in the details (and the fun is, too): Books about Copperheads and the Confederacy
Confederates from Iowa had a rich variety of wartime experiences. To help me flesh out their stories, I’ve studied the war from a Confederate perspective. The following books are insightful…
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Good books about early Iowa, the Underground Railroad, and the Civil War
I am a fan of well-documented books with solid reasoning. I recommend the following books about early Iowa history, the Underground Rail Road, slavery, causes of the Civil War, reasons…
Son of Former Iowa Governor goes bad, Part 2: The Family tries to Intervene
Junius L. Hempstead and 600 other Confederate officers crowded into the dark hold of a Federal steamer. Sea-sickness and lack of sanitation bedeviled them for two weeks. They arrived at Morris…
Son of Former Iowa Governor goes bad: “Rebel Son” becomes Campaign Issue
Iowa residents who served the Confederacy were never completely forgotten, especially during campaign season. One such man was 18-year-old Junius L. Hempstead, a Dubuque resident whose father had been Iowa’s…
How Abraham Lincoln helped me understand Confederates from Iowa
Six years ago, I stumbled on to a little-known chapter of Iowa history: residents who left Iowa and served the Confederacy. The men were sometimes mentioned as a historical footnote…
Confederates from Iowa: A fresh look at the Civil War
Welcome to my new blog, Confederates from Iowa! If you have Iowa roots, or if you like to learn about the Civil War, this blog is meant for you. When…