May 28 2007
REVIEW: No Regrets: A Civil War Diary by David Day, edited by Pamela Cummings
Dear Ms Cummings,
Thank you for finding and taking the time to edit and publish what might have remained a little read glimpse into the daily life of David Day. Day, though a middle aged man at the time and also one having a wife and four children to support, didn’t hesitate to answer his country’s call to arms. Enlisting for a three year term of service, he saw action in now little heralded encounters along the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia. His diary shows him as a hardworking man who never shirked his military duty yet also a man of intellect and education who possessed a dry sense of humor much appreciated by the men with whom he fought. His thoughts on citizenship and a man’s duty to try and preserve the union for which our forefathers had fought so hard were forthright and strongly stated without turning into a sermon.
His daily accounts of the differences between North and South were delightful to read and truly showed how distant the regions of the country were before the age of mass communication. As a resident of North Carolina, I found it amusing that he saw fit to remark that the only things he was impressed with here were the size of insects and the intensity of our rainstorms. The summer heat here apparently also didn’t find favor with the men from Massachusetts.
I agree that modern readers might be shocked at some of the terms Day used for African Americans but for him and the rest of America at that time, those were the standard words to use. The effort Day put into helping the colored soldiers invalided out at the same hospital where he recovered from his illnesses shows, I think, that he was not a prejudiced man.
There are enough memoirs of the great men of that age and conflict to show the war from the point of view of the officers but I appreciate seeing it from the standing of the men actually slogging through the mud and dealing with the pitiful rations. B
~Jayne
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May 28, 2007 @ 13:35:52
Oh, I’ll have to get this. I love historical diaries. There is something fascinating about viewing history from the different perspectives of the people who lived it.
May 31, 2007 @ 12:19:09
Such a shame this author (or in this case, editor) passed away in 2002. Pam Cummings certainly was a wonderful author in her own right. I miss her daily!
May 31, 2007 @ 17:23:27
Paris, that’s news to me. From the author’s bio page at Amber Quill, you’d think she’s alive and well. As you say, it’s such a shame as I’ve enjoyed all three of her books that I’ve read so far.
Jun 01, 2007 @ 08:14:05
Yes, it happened rather suddenly, as I recall…heart attack, I believe. From what I understand, her death was one of the “last straws” for people at a company called RFI West. Pam was an author there and the owner (thief) was ripping her off (not paying royalties), giving her the runaround about getting her titles in paperback, etc. along with all the other authors and staff members. Things started to get to the boiling point, then Pam’s death sparked a group of authors and staff to finally yank all their books from the RFI West owner (thief) and they formed Amber Quill Press and, with Pam’s husband’s blessing, republished all of Pam’s books in paperback and (gasp, what a concept?!) actually paid royalties (which Pam never saw when she was alive, unfortunately, thanks to the RFI West owner (thief…have I mentioned that already? LOL) who spent years issuing false promises and lying through her teeth.
Anyway, Pam was so talented and it was a crime she got treated so poorly by that woman at RFI West. Thankfully Amber Quill republished all of her works since it would have been a shame to have them languish (or worse, still be in the hands of the thief at RFI West).
Jun 03, 2007 @ 05:31:46
I agree. I’m glad someone in her family got the revenue from her books.
Jun 09, 2007 @ 18:02:21
I am Pam’s husband and I’d like to thank you all for your posts and comments. I would, however, like to clarify an inaccuracy in Pam’s death. She did not die of a heart attack as a result of the RFI situation. Rather, she died from cancer. She had completed almost all of the novels and had them edited and published by Amber Quill Press prior to her passing. Sadly, a couple of them had not made it to print before she could see them out.
There was one book she had almost completed but didn’t manage to get to the editors so unfortunately, that one will have to remain unfinished. I too am greatful for the editors and authors at Amber Quill Press for the ongoing support of her works after her death.
Thank you all for your support. Hope you continue to support the authors at Amber Quill Press as they are a good bunch of editors/authors.
Most sincerely,
Steve Cummings
Jun 11, 2007 @ 04:12:09
Mr Cummings, thanks for stopping by and clarifying things. I’m sorry for your loss as a husband and ours as readers.
Mar 12, 2008 @ 14:06:32
oh, thanks for this tip. i’m always on the hunt for interesting historical books to pick up. i, obviously, really like the civil war era, so i’ll give it try. sad to hear about the author. btw, i really like your theme – very tasteful and elegant.
Mar 13, 2008 @ 13:09:58
Paul, Mrs. Cummings has (had?) another book you might be interested in that is a historical mystery set at pre-Civil War West Point titled “Duty, Honor, Murder.” I bought it when I purchased all her books a year ago but haven’t gotten to it yet. Thanks for stopping by and for your compliments to our site.