Jennifer Bohnhoff
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My Civil War Connection

9/28/2014

6 Comments

 
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Yesterday I gave a presentation at the Fall Conference of the New Mexico Council of Social Studies.  The theme of the conference was The Civil War in New Mexico, and my talk was on how to help students with limited English or low reading skills understand what they were reading about.

I began my talk with a story about something that had happened in my class a couple of weeks ago.  One of my students had brought in some money and wanted to buy my Civil War novel, The Bent Reed.  When I signed a copy for her and set it on her desk, the student sitting next to her looked over at it. 


"What's this?" he asked.
"It's a book," I said, stating the obvious.  He studied the bookcover a little longer, then pointed to my name.
"Did you write it?" he asked.  When I told him yes, he looked at the cover some more before asking what the book was about.  I told him the Civil War and his gaze shot up to my face.
"Were you there?" he asked with a surprised gasp.

So I have an admission for any of my fans that I've led astray; I was not an eyewitness at the Battle of Gettysburg.  I am not, like I claimed yesterday, a two hundred year old Social Studies teacher.

But even though I wasn't there, I do have a Civil War connection.

The man in the picture is not it.  He is Ken Dusenberry, a Corporal in the Artillery Company of New Mexico and a very interesting man to talk with. Ken knows a lot about the life and times of the Civil War soldier and can tell you more about ammunition and "grub" than just about anyone alive.  But much as he would like to have been around at the time of the Civil War, he was not.

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My Civil War connection is my great grandfather, Selwin Clark Linnell.  Born on May 6, 1848 in Rockford, Illinois, Selwin enlisted as a private in Company K of the 132nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry one month before his 16th birthday.  According to the geneology site on which I found this information, he served for 100 days in the campaign of General Sherman, and then was honorably discharged.  I have a framed copy of his discharge papers hanging in my house.  The family lore has always been that he was a drummer boy, which is very possible considering his age.  This picture is obviously from many years later, and it's not the best picture I've seen of him.  He must have been a strong and healthy man; he was 65 when my grandmother was born.

I know nothing more about Linnell's Civil War service, but I plan to do some research and find out if he might have seen some action during his hundred days.  Who knows?  That research just might lead to another story.

6 Comments
Shelly Blanchard
9/29/2014 11:50:25 am

I love your story of the student who wondered if you were alive during the civil war. Amazing and funny! You tell a good story.

Reply
Kay Swedberg
9/30/2014 01:49:00 pm

That is the first picture of Selwin Linnell that I have seen without a cap/hat on! I thought he was bald! Nice blog!

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6/16/2015 04:43:04 pm

I am extremely impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog.!!

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6/21/2015 06:38:34 pm

Great Post !! Very interesting topic will bookmark your site to check if you write more about in the future.

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3/9/2023 02:06:43 am

This is an amazing article! It is so cool to read about someone's personal connection to the Civil War. It's a great way to connect to history in a meaningful way and really appreciate the sacrifices made by those who fought in the war.

Reply
punyam academy link
9/1/2023 03:32:30 am

I'm incredibly impressed by both your writing skills and the layout of your blog!

Reply



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    ABout Jennifer Bohnhoff

    I am a former middle school teacher who loves travel and history, so it should come as no surprise that many of my books are middle grade historical novels set in beautiful or interesting places.  But not all of them.  I hope there's one title here that will speak to you personally and deeply.

    What I love most: that "ah hah" moment when a reader suddenly understands the connections between himself, the past, and the world around him.  Those moments are rarified, mountain-top experiences.



    Can't get enough of Jennifer Bohnhoff's blogs?  She's also on Mad About MG History.  

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    Looking for more books for middle grade readers? Greg Pattridge hosts MMGM, where you can find loads of recommendations.

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