Author Events in May 2016

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Allen Mesch

The first half of May is busy with a book signing and two presentations.

On May 2, 2016, I will be signing books at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Plymouth Meeting, PA from 6:00 till 9:00 p.m.

The following evening, I will be talking about “Philadelphia’s Forgotten Soldier – General Charles F. Smith” at the Bucks County Civil War Roundtable in Doylestown, PA.  The program will be from 7:00-8:30 p.m. Be sure to visit the Bucks County Civil War Museum & Library. Please note that the meetings are held at the Doylestown Borough Hall, 57 W. Court Street, Doylestown, PA.

Then it’s off to the US Military Academy to present a copy of Teacher of Civil War Generals to the Academy library.

On Sunday, we will spend Mother’s Day with my 97-year-old mother-in-law Helen in Binghamton, NY.

On Monday morning, we begin our 1,500 mile drive back to Plano, TX.

The busy month closes with a program on Teacher of Civil War Generals at the Onstage at the Allen Public Library program. The program will be from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Please see the video on the program.

I hope that you can join us for one of these events.

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March-April Book Tour and Presentations

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Allen Mesch

My wife and I left Plano, TX early on March 23, 2016 on our first book tour for Teacher of Civil War Generals. We made it as far as Milan, TN that night.

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Lloyd Tilghman House and Museum

The following day we drove to Paducah, KY and arrived at the Lloyd Tilghman House and Museum where we were met by curator Bill Baxter and his able assistant Baxter Baxter. Bill gave us a wonderful tour of the museum and its treasures. The Tilghman House is the site of the event that nearly resulted in C. F. Smith’s removal from command.

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Bill Baxter and Allen

Following our tour, Bill and Patricia Baxter treated us to a lovely lunch in downtown Paducah. After lunch Patricia drove us back to the Tilghman House and Bill took us across the street to the McCracken County Library. We met our host for the evening, Bobbie Winkle, and dropped off some books.

 

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Gen. Lloyd Tilghman

John Cashon met us at the library for a Civil War tour of the city. John showed us where Smith’s headquarters was located and the place on the river where Smith built Fort Anderson. John is writing a Civil War history of Paducah and was a perfect choice to point out the places from the book. The tour concluded with a visit to the statue of General Tilghman.

 

Before we left Texas, Todd Hatton of WKMS did a radio interview about General Smith to advertise the program at the McCracken County Library.

 

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That evening, I presented an overview of Maj. Gen. Smith’s life at the McCracken County Library. The talk emphasized his time in charge of the US forces in the city . I read several letters from the book including Smith’s version of events at the Tilghman House. The evening concluded with a Q&A session and book signing. Bobbie Winkle gave me several remembrances from the library and Bill Baxter presented me with a series of medals commemorating Gen. Nathan B. Forrest’s attack on the city.

I hope you will add Paducah to your Kentucky travel plans.

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Barnes & Noble Book Signing Louisville, KY

We left early the next morning to drive to Louisville, KY for an afternoon book signing at Barnes & Noble at The Shoppes at Plainview. We met a number of people at the book signings. Some purchased books, others asked about Gen. Smith, and a few just said hello and hurried to get a Starbuck’s Coffee.

 

 

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Barnes & Noble Book Signing Elizabethtown, KY

We didn’t have much time to relax because we had a Saturday book signing at the Barnes & Noble at the Elizabethtown Mall in Elizabethtown, KY.  That night we stopped in Bardstown, KY. The next day was Easter Sunday and the museums were closed for the holiday.

 

 

 

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Civil War Fort at Boonesboro, KY

On  Sunday March 27 we drove from Bardstown, KY to Morgantown, WV, the home of West Virginia University. On our way, we discovered a Civil War fort.  The earthen works fort at Boonesboro was built to defend the Kentucky River.

 

 

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Barnes & Noble Book Signing Morgantown, WV

On Monday, we did another book signing at Barnes & Noble at University Park Central in Morgantown, WV. We had a delightful dinner with Dave McGill, our daughter’s father-in-law.

 

 

 

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Vestal Museum

 

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AHEC Library

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday morning we traveled to Binghamton, NY to spend several days with my wife’s mother. On the way, we stopped at the U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center in Carlisle, PA. I began my research for Teacher of Civil War Generals at Carlisle and we wanted to present a copy of the book to the library. I just received notice that the Center has accepted my donation. I hope you will visit Carlisle and take a moment to honor the people who helped defend our freedom. The museum and library are excellent.

LG_Phone_Pics 747We schedule three events while in the Binghamton area. On Thursday night we had a reading at the RiverRead Bookstore in downtown Binghamton.

 

 

 

 

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Barnes & Nobles – Arena Hub – Wilkes-Barre, PA

On Saturday, April 2 we drove down to the Barnes & Noble at the Arena Hub in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

 

 

 

 

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Allen at Vestal Historical Society

On Sunday, April 3 I gave a presentation at the Vestal Historical Society in Vestal, NY.

 

 

 

 

 

Our trip was a success, not only for the number of books sold, but for the people we met and the opportunity to tell Maj. Gen. Smith’s story. Thanks to all of you who took the time to attend a talk, buy a book, or listen to the story of the  Teacher of Civil War Generals.

 

 

 

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Civil War Monitor Review

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Allen Mesch

Thanks to Robert Grandchamp for his review on the Civil War Monitor web page.

Grandchamp wrote, “In conclusion, this is a solid, well-written book about a Union general who did much to contribute to the results of the Civil War through his term of service at West Point.” “The book is well researched and sourced from a variety of primary and secondary documents, including the Charles F. Smith Papers at the West Point Archives.”

Please see MESCH: Teacher of Civil War Generals (2015) at civilwarmonitor.com.

 

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Your Affectionate Father, Charles F. Smith

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Allen Mesch

Cover_Your_Affectionate_FatherYour Affectionate Father, Charles F. Smith is now available on Amazon.

Your Affectionate Father, Charles F. Smith is a love story between an Army officer and his daughter. Through Charles’ letters to his daughter, Fanny, we gain an intimate view of antebellum life in a military family.  The correspondence includes unblemished observations about Charles’s experiences and fatherly advice.

Most of the correspondence occurred between December 1855 and March 1860. During this time Lieutenant Colonel Smith served with the Tenth Infantry Regiment in the Minnesota Territory where he led an expedition to the Red River of the North and then in the Utah Territory as an officer in the Mormon Expedition.

Your Affectionate Father contains 47 photos, 6 maps, extensive notes, bibliography, and index.

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The Civil War in Your Backyard Talk – FUMC Allen

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Allen Mesch

A big thank you to Mrs. Joanne Garlington for inviting me to speak at the Senior Adult program at First United Methodist of Allen on February 18, 2106.  The program was attended by about eighty people.

My talk was on The Civil War in Your Backyard and discussed the many Civil War sites around the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex.  I created a page with references for those interested in learning more about the places within a day’s drive of the metroplex.

I sold several copies of Teacher of Civil War Generals to attendees.

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Thanks to all who attended.

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General C. F. Smith Returns to Paducah, KY

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Allen Mesch

I am pleased to announce my talk for the McCracken County Public Library in Paducah, Kentucky. General Smith was in command of the Union forces in that strategic city from September 1861 to February 1862.

I will be discussing events during Smith’s time in Paducah including the controversy at the Tilghman House and preparations for General U. S. Grant’s attack on Fort Henry.

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Presentations and Signings

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Allen Mesch

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I am pleased to announce book signings and presentations for Teacher of Civil War Generals.

Over the next few months, I will be at the following locations:

  • First United Methodist Church of Allen – Allen, TX -The Civil War in Your Backyard – February 18, 2016
  • McCracken County Library – Paducah, KY – Teacher of Civil War Generals – March 24, 2016
  • Barnes & Noble – The Shoppes at Plainview – Louisville, KY – March 25, 2016
  • Barnes & Noble – Elizabethtown Mall – Elizabethtown, KY – March 26, 2016
  • Barnes & Noble – University Town Centre – Morgantown, WV – March 28, 2016
  • RiverRead Books – Binghamton, NY – March 31, 2016
  • Barnes & Noble – The Arena Hub – Wilkes-Barre, PA – April 2, 2016
  • Vestal Historical Society and Museum – Vestal, NY – Teacher of Civil War Generals – April 3, 2016
  • First United Methodist Church of Plano – Plano TX -The Civil War in Your Backyard – April 21, 2016
  • Bucks County Civil War Roundtable – Doylestown, PA – Teacher of Civil War Generals – May 3, 2016

I hope to see you at one of these events. Please contact me if you would like to arrange an presentation or book signing.

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Teacher of Civil War Generals at Barnes & Noble

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Allen Mesch

Teacher of Civil War Generals is now available at Barnes & Noble and at Barnes & Noble online.

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I am reaching out to several stores to do book signings and presentations.

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The Analyst

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Allen Mesch

I have just released a new version of The Analyst. 

When Professor Russell Conrad received a call to fly to Washington, he didn’t expect that he would find himself in Saudi Arabia trying to rescue the President and prevent a nuclear war. After Conrad is summoned to Washington, he finds himself on Air Force One as part of an American delegation to a secret peace conference in Saudi Arabia. President Omar Sanjar’s hopes of forming a lasting Middle East peace are shattered when the American delegation is kidnapped. Their captors’ ransom demands present a moral dilemma that threatens to plunge the Middle East into a nuclear war. Conrad’s role is transformed from CIA advisor to an agent as he tries to rescue Sanjar and warn Israel of the impending missile attack.

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Click on the link The Analyst to order the book.

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The Lone Star Book Review says “WOW!”

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Allen Mesch

The Lone Star Book Review has given Teacher of Civil War Generals its highest rating. Thanks for the “WOW!” rating. This rating is only given to a “book that far exceeds the current expectations of the reader.”

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