Moutaineers' Honor

Editorial Reviews After Seven Years Of Genealogical Research John M. Jarvis Has Pieced Together Three Of His Ancestors' Lives In Mountaineers' Honor His Recently Released Novel. After Six Years There Was A Story Just Screaming To Be Told He Said. While His Research Has Uncovered Ties To Thousands His Book Focuses On Three Of His Great-Great-Grandfathers All West Virginia-Area Natives Who Fought In The Civil War. Joe Engle Joined The Union Army As A Wagon Driver And Tom Jarvis Joined The Same Side'S Infantry. Nathan Martin Took Up Arms For The Confederacy. The Story Jumps From Character To Character Letting Each Separately Tell His Own Story Of The Battles Dedication To The Cause And Longing For Home. Jarvis Did More Than Sketch A Family Tree When Developing His Ancestors' Characters. An Aunt Contributed A Box Of Documents Including Medical Records Outlining Battlefield Injuries And Poems Written By Family Members Which His Characters Received In The Mail While Away At War. He Had Some Unexpected Help Fitting The Pieces Together Too. When He Visited The Clark-Jarvis Cemetery In West Virginia He Met A Woman Involved With The Local Genealogy Society. She Gave Him A Stack Of Papers A Few Inches Thick Filled With Useful Information. It Was Pure Luck Jarvis Said Recalling The Coincidence. Other Times Just When He Thought He Would Have To Leave A Question Unanswered Another Great-Great-Grandchild Would Send Him The Answer Through A Genealogy Web Site. In Much Detail Jarvis Describes The Historically-Based Troop Movements The Senior Officers And The Scenery. He Poured Himself Into History Books Learning The Unit Numbers Battle Locations And The Names Of Key Leaders. He Traveled All Over West Virginia And Virginia To See The Battle Sites. I Wanted To See The Land For Descriptions In My Story Jarvis Said. Along The Trail He Found A Cascading Waterfall And Natural Bridge His Ancestors Had Once Traveled. I Just Had To Write It In. It Was So P