| New Author Muses About Writing Historic Book Following an uploading of his new historical fiction novel. "War Tears: A Journey from Springfield to Gettysburg '', John Swanson has finally seen his opus published in three formats: hardcover book, paperback version, and as an eBook. As he pondered the difficulties and stresses of publication, he mused about why he started writing the book in the first place. "I guess 'War Tears' has been in my head as a thought for many years," commented John Swanson, author of the book. He indicated that it did not develop into actual consideration until he, with other members of the Springfield Arts and Historical Society, were preparing an exhibit on Springfield during the Civil War. In reviewing a roster of Springfield men who had served during that conflict, he came across the name of Wheelock Veazey. Veazey was a new lawyer in Springfield who joined the 3rd Vermont Regiment. He was appointed commander of the 16th Vt Regiment due to his leadership of the 3rd Regiment. For his actions at Gettysburg, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. John noted that he then conceived of the idea of a young Springfield farmer who, because of his admiration of Veazey, joins the local contingency volunteering to serve in the war. As a historian and teacher, John began researching the Vermont participation in the war, using the U.S. Army War College in PA, the Gettysburg Civil War Institute, and Gettysburg College as primary sources. To this he added the records maintained by the VT Historical Society plus local records. The result was the story of a young farmer who started as a fife player and ended as a seasoned front-line veteran, serving under Veazey's command. While his intention was not to write a romantic novel, John did include "a bit of growing up" romance for the young hero along with the impact of the war on his farming family and neighbors. As for whom he wrote "War Tears", John's simple explanation is "for everyone interested in learning what that war was really like". He does feel that our youth should read it to learn that the glamor sometimes ascribed to the Civil War was "anything but that". "War Tears" is now available in all three formats at Amazon's Kindle Store. John spent years teaching history and civics at Springfield's Riverside Middle School. He received his BS in Education from UVM with a MA in history from the same institution. Currently, John, in his retirement, is living at the Gables in Rutland. | 
