I Shall be Near to You by Erin Lindsay McCabe

Rosetta told her family, “I have got So that I Can drill just as well as any man there is in my regiment.” She is both tender and brazen, writing in one letter, “I don’t know how long before i shall have to go into the field of battle. I wanted to find a diary, but what I found were Rosetta Wakeman's letters. I was looking for a primary source on which to write my next paper for U.S. I had gone into the stacks to find a woman, any woman, who lived in the 1800s. We know that she decided to dress as a man to get work on a canal boat and that it only took her one boat ride up the river to find out that being a soldier for the 153rd New York State Volunteers paid better than any job she could find: $13 a month plus a $152 signing bonus. We know that when she was 19 she decided to leave the family farm and find work so she could send money home. We know that she was the oldest of nine children, that she was her father’s farmhand, that her family had financial trouble. We know that she was born on January 16, 1843. I am not writing about Rosetta because of the things we know about Sarah Rosetta Wakeman. Because I can’t believe no one gets taught this stuff.

“Because people should know women did these things. “Because people should know about her,” I say. I give her my answer, the one I think I would give Oprah if Oprah asked me the same question, the one I would say to my mom’s book club if they asked. “Why do you want to write about this?” she asks. I am talking to my mom on the phone when she asks me. Thank you for the fabulous postcard, Erin – so cool to see the stamp and postmarks.It is July, 2009, and I've already written hundreds of pages. A few hundred other women did the same – on both sides.Ĭongratulations, Erin, on your book being a USA Today bestselling historical novel!Īnd how fun was it to visit the UK! You must have felt you were in writer’s heaven at The Elephant House, J. Visit Erin’s website to read more about this challenging relationship that is also a love story.Įrin has received much kudos for I Shall Be Near To You that was inspired by her research of an actual woman who fought in the Civil War.

Rosetta, not happy to be left behind, cuts her hair, dresses as a man, and stuns Jeremiah by volunteering to fight with him as a Union soldier.Ĭan you imagine? Doesn’t this sound fascinating! In I Shall Be Near To You, Rosetta doesn’t want her husband Jeremiah to enlist, but he does hoping to earn money to buy a farm. Any book that brings attention to the strength and contributions of women, gets my attention.Įrin Lindsay McCabe has written one such book.

I Shall be Near to You by Erin Lindsay McCabe