Hard Times, Hard Bread, and Harder Coffee

I've written several times in the past as to how I'm always on the lookout for new regional, small press publications. Though often of varying literary quality and "importance," these books nevertheless showcase previously undiscovered letters, diaries, or journals from rank-and-file soldiers who hailed from the various regions around the country.

One such new title is the just-published Hard Times, Hard Bread, and Harder Coffee, a 227-page softcover that presents 128 previously unpublished Civil War letters of Hezekiah Long of South Thomaston, Maine. Long enlisted in the Union army in the summer of 1862 and served in the legendary 20th Maine Infantry until the end of the war. The book has been published by Richardson's Civil War Roundtable and I believe sells for $19.95. Full online story here.