A Badger Boy in Blue: The Civil War Letters of Chauncey H. Cooke (Great Lakes Books)

I had the fortune of knowing Chauncey's grandson, Kermit, now deceased, and from him learned some of the details of these letters. Am writing this to simply relay that to anyone interested. The letters, numbering more than 80 and written on various scraps of paper, were first published in 1918 over a period of months in the Independence (WI) newspaper, a weekly and where I originally read them, as well as the Mondovi (WI) newspaper. Because of the deteriorating condition of the letters, Chauncey then destroyed them. Chauncey also had the letters printed in book form, only one copy, which still, I believe, remains with the family. Chauncey died in 1919 and is buried on top of a hill overlooking the Cooke family farm, known as Willow Farm, a short distance north and west of Independence, Wisconsin. His large gravestone reads "A Soldier of the Civil War for the Union of the States and Freedom of the Slaves. A Friend of the Colored Races, the Indian and the Negro." A number of years after the Civil War, he spent time in the south helping former slaves learn how to read and write.In 2004, Kermit self-published the letters in a volume entitled, "Soldier Boy's Letters to His Father and Mother, 1862-1865." If you can find a copy of this, it also includes a diary of his canoe trip on the Chippewa River , itself a very revealing history, along with art portraits of his father and mother and a portrait photo of Chauncey taken prior to his death. It also has Kermit's preface and frequent short lead-in's to letters; no editing or spelling/grammar correction was done. It may be hard to locate, however. I have not seen Dr. Mulligan's version, but assume the letters appear in their original state, as well. Whereas Kermit's version has his more personal, family-related comments, Dr. Mulligan provides a more professional historical explanation of events, it appears.Regardless of which version you obtain, it will be worth your time.

An incredible tale of the Civil War. Easy to read--reads like a novel even though it is letters to home. Chauncey H. Cooke was a natural talent.