Through the Eyes of Maine: An Account of the American Civil War, 1859-1862

Through the Eyes of Maine is a work nearly one hundred seventy years in the making. In the northernmost corner of what was fast becoming a fractured nation, diarist Hilton W. True of Gardiner, Maine began keeping a journal. In it, he makes mention of the singular event that sparked the American Civil War as well as the first eighteen months of the conflict. He concludes with an account of the Battle of Antietam in which his family suffered a deep and personal loss..Discovered in 2018 by historian Ross Farmer, this compelling account features details on key battles and important figures who helped shape the most contentious period in our nation’s history. Farmer, based on the recollections of H.W. True, offers a twenty-first century discernment of this incredible primary source based on each individual entry. This work offers a near-complete picture of the war and the events that led to disunion. Familiar names such as Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee and lesser-known figures such as Galusha Grow and Alexander Shaler flow together in the record kept by True. Another compelling aspect of this work surrounds subjects that can easily be glossed over while reading through his register of events. Topics such as transportation, communication, music, patriotic fervor, national symbols, the press and the very meaning of life and death are all touched upon. Equally important is what True fails to mention in his diary. The most notable omission is the word “slavery.” Readers are only left to speculate as to why this most controversial of all Antebellum subjects is left unwritten in the record he left behind. This work also contains a wealth of photos and images associated with the Antebellum Era and the Civil War, including photos taken by the author and previously unpublished artifacts from Farmer’s personal collection. Combined with the musing of H.W. True it presents a compelling and in-depth look at life during the late 1850s and early 1860s..Through the Eyes of Maine concludes with an overview of Maine’s contributions to the cause of Union. From the materials that the state supplied, to the men and women who sacrificed so much to ensure the preservation of the nation and the destruction of slavery, the final appendix also introduces readers to the towns in which H.W. True lived and worked and a short biographical sketch of the diarist. Read more