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...
Please login to view the full essay...