The Soldier Behind the Cover
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the identity of soldier on the cover of I Shall Be Near To You. Is it the real Rosetta? And the answer is, alas, no. But it is a real photo of a real Civil War soldier, although his (or her?) identity is unknown. Interestingly, the soldier fought for the Confederacy, so for the cover image, we had to change the color of his uniform.
Here, for the curious, is the full photo (which is available through the Library of Congress), with its original frame (I just love Civil War era frames!):
And here’s the photo without the frame, which makes it easier to really see the soldier:
Have any arguments about me placing this on my twitter?
None at all!
I just finished reading the book..one I could not put down. I am a civil war era fan and have read some of the resources you mentioned in the blog. I enjoyed the story and believe you captured well the hardship, emotions, struggles and what it was like. Thank you for taking the time to write the story and share your gifts.
Oh, thank you so much Sheila! It’s so wonderful to hear that you were touched by the story. It’s such a nice compliment when a Civil War buff enjoys the story–I so wanted to get the details and history right.