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The bloodhounds are straining against the leash in my hand, yelping in the dead of night.  Turning on my flashlight, we plunge into the woods on a 150-year-old manhunt. 

It’s another cold case; my files are full of them.  Sometimes I read what the experienced historians – those with gold detective shields – have written on the subject, but they gave up the chase long ago.  If you research ancestors or any historical topic, you’ll find cold cases, too, especially if you go off the beaten path and question the general wisdom.

My first case was a long-unsolved riot in Grinnell, Iowa, over the presence of fugitive slaves in the public school.  This shocking event stands in stark contrast to the “better angels” in Grinnell in 1860 – and today.  Having read an eyewitness account, I wanted to track down the perpetrators and the heroes, great and small. 

Six or so years later, I started to investigate Iowa Civil War studies.  Imagine a cornfield with even rows of green stalks.  It’s obvious the rich Union soil has been worked over countless times.  One untouched corner, far in the distance, beckoned me.  I staked out my little section.  Like any gardener, I needed plenty of seeds (documented details) before I started planting (writing).  Little did I know I would be working the soil for almost ten years.

The research – gosh, that was hard work.  Tiring, long, blurry-eyed, clock-fighting hard.  Early on, I wanted to be credible, so I defined terms.  Specifically, I decided that “Iowa resident” was someone who lived in that state for at least two years, no earlier than 1850, and who was 13 or older during residency. 

Four tasks emerged early on:  Document pre-war Iowa residency; confirm Confederate service; gather details about each soldier’s life (pre-war, wartime, and post-war); and learn about the Civil War from a Confederate perspective.

In full detective mode, I read witness statements, official and unofficial documents, and expert testimony (including that of historians).  Trying to substantiate every piece of evidence, I also considered context, circumstances, culture, and relationships.

An amazing thing happened with the first Iowa Confederate I studied.  His papers and life story had been scattered in a multi-state cyclone.  Nonetheless, I found plausible answers for every question I asked about his life.  And so, this “mystery man” (as his great-great-granddaughter called him) came to life.  That was very encouraging. Without these open doors, I probably would have given up the search.

In the case of another soldier, I had the merest clue about his identity and Confederate service.  I kept tugging at the single thread of yarn until the whole sweater unraveled in an amazing heap.

At last, I had enough seeds (details) to start planting (writing).  And so, detective work gave way to storytelling.  I’ll talk about that stage of the journey in my next blog post.

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A Happy Announcement

I have written a book, Iowa Confederates in the Civil War.  Fonthill Media will publish it on September 30.  I have saved my best stories for the book.  If you like what you have read on this blog, it is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. 

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