Brothers Til Death

Brothers �til Death written by Richard M. Trimble is about two Irish immigrants who moved to New Jersey during the American Civil War. The two brothers, William and Thomas Jones, served in the 48th New York State Volunteers from 1861-1865. They wrote a collection of letters containing over a hundred messages back and forth to their sister Maggie, who was a school teacher living in West Farms, New Jersey. Also included are letters from friends of the Jones’ siblings, which added additional voices and views to the Irish-influenced conversation about the war. The letters provided valuable insights into the election of 1864, the Emancipation of Proclamation, Lincoln's death, the virtually unknown Florida expedition, life in a New York City hospital ward, and the siege of Petersburg. Some of the letters included how the Generals mistreated their men and did not value their lives, as far as the Generals’ record was kept in powerful standing. The brothers’ wrote how they had to endure rigorous duties, but after the long hard days, they made time for conversation, humor, and dance. There were letters written expressing prejudiced feelings and behaviors about how the brothers and many of the other soldiers felt about freeing slaves and having to sacrifice their lives for the country. The most supporting thing were the letters they received from home. The longer the letter was, the better. Many men were seriously injured including Thomas, who had to get his arm amputated after being shot. Throughout their letters they wrote about their injuries as if it were an everyday occurrence and nothing out of the ordinary.

Richard M. Trimble, the owner of the letter collection, also a History teacher at

Brookdale Community College, dedicated much of his time in having this book published. He

had many people that contributed their talents in regard to deciphering the letters, the long hours

of reading, transcribing and typing the final manuscript. The research that was pursued by

Mr. Trimble in publishing this novel was overwhelming. He brought a collection of letters to

life.

Trimble’s point of writing Brother’s til Death was to give the readers an understanding

of the American Civil War through the eyes of the soldiers. Trimble found these letters to be

valuable and wanted to give his readers a sense of the actual events that took place during their

everyday lives during the Civil War. Through personal observation the two brothers told their

sister, Maggie, about their daily triumphs and tragedies. The letters they wrote were filled with

emotion and struggles they had gone through and the psychological effects the war had on

them. They described how gruesome their days were and the daily hardships they had to endure.

By gathering these letters together Trimble believed his readers would have a better

understanding of the conflicts and daily happenings