The Valiant Hours: Narrative of "Captain Brevet," an Irish-American in The Army of the Potomac

Harrisburg: The Stackpole Company, 1961. Hardcover. Edited by Colonel W.S. Nye. 8vo. Red paper over boards with black spine lettering, pictorial dust jacket. (6pp), 262pp. Numerous maps. Very good/very good. Jacket slightly edgeworn, with somewhat sunned spine and a few small upper edge chips. Quite attractive and tight first edition of this diary of an Irish-born Union soldier who witnessed much action with the Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry and recorded it in his diary. Tipped to front flyleaf is a Typed Note Signed from editor Nye, 1p, heavy stock buff 5½" X 3¼" postal card, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2 August 1962. Addressed to Arnold F. Gates (1914-93, noted Lincoln and Civil War scholar). Fine. "We are sending you three books to be evaluated for our new Book Service," he writes to the "Lincoln Herald" book review editor. "I hope you can read these and send in your evaluations.... Normally we won't jam so many on you at once, but, as you know, we are accepting for consideration anything published so far in 1962...." Signed simply "WSN." Wilbur S. Nye (1989-1970) was a noted military officer and military historian, author of "Here Come the Rebels!" (1965) and "Sheridan in the Shenandoah" (1961) as well as a director for "Civil War Times Illustrated" magazine. "A human and charming narrative," critiques James I. Robertson Jr., "by a teen-ager who campaigned in the East with the 8th Ohio." Nevins I, 92.