Famous New Jerseyans from the Civil War Now Live at the Library

Chatham resident Bill Tackaberry recently stopped by the Library of the Chathams to make a donation on behalf of the North Jersey Civil War Round Table.

A new book by Joseph G. Bilby and published by Longstreet House called "New Jersey Goes to War" chronicles the lives of 150 New Jerseyans connected to the Civil War.

Included within its pages are biographies of Col. Samuel Fowler of the 15th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment; Rep. Rodman McCamley Price, the congressman who recommended that New Jersey seceed from the union and called Abraham Lincoln a traitor; and Clara Barton, who taught school and worked as a nurse in New Jersey before she tended to wounded soldiers in the war and founded the American Red Cross.

The book is the first official publication by the New Jersey Sesquintennial Committee. All proceeds from sales of the book benefit the committee, which has no official state funding. The sesquintennial of the Civil War begins this year and ends in 2015.

Reference Librarian Jay Chatterjee accepted two copies "New Jersey Goes to War" from Tackaberry and said she hoped the book would benefit patrons and researchers from the area.

The book will be housed in the reference section. Any patron looking for the book can ask the Jay Chatterjee, the reference librarian.