Civil War Comes Home

About the Book

Highly Recommended by Dr. J. Hindman, School of Education, College of William & Mary

What was it like living in a small sleepy Southern town when the war suddenly arrived on the doorstep 150 years ago? Th ese are the stories of residents from various walks of life, and the struggles they face as the Union’s Peninsula Campaign deploys forces to Fort Monroe, engages just east of Williamsburg, then continues, ‘On to Richmond!’ as their battle cry went. For example,

-William & Mary students, like Th omas Barlow, face life-changing decisions: to return home, or enlist with his classmates? Some of them would become heroes, but many more casualties.

-Slaves, like W.B. Nelson, must decide as well: should he remain with his master or runaway? While some remain, many become ‘contrabands,’ and later freedmen, and ‘colored troops.’

-Politicians, like Benjamin Butler of Boston, are given the rank of Major General despite the lack of any military experience, while General George B. McClellan, who despised President Lincoln and Washington politics, later runs for national offi ce. Neither transformation is particularly successful.”

-Williamsburg residents, like shopkeeper William W. Vest and family must decide between fl eeing as refugees, or staying, like William Peachy, lawyer, to endure Federal occupation.

-Williamsburg’s women, like Letitia Tyler Semple, lead efforts to improve soldier medical care, opening their homes to thousands of wounded. Others, like Mary Payne, persevere to be at her husband’s bedside, while Miss Margaret Durfey falls in love with her patient.

About the Author

Jeff Drifmeyer, writing as "Jake McKenzie," holds master’s and doctoral degrees in environmental science from the University of Virginia, and a master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins. He served on active duty for over two decades in the Army Medical Service Corps, overseas twice and throughout the U.S. including duty at Fort Monroe. He’s written many scientific articles and was an award-winning research professor at the military’s medical school, Uniformed Services University of Health Science. He was a division chief at the founding of the National Center for Medical Intelligence bringing homeland health protection issues to the forefront. He was working at the Veteran’s Affairs hospital in Hampton, VA when diagnosed with rare, neuroendocrine cancer. During this ongoing health struggle, he’s reinventing himself as an author.

Under the pen name, Jake McKenzie, his first book, “When Pigs Flu…” (ISBN 978-1-4520-7797-0) is a fast-paced military thriller. A ‘what if…’ scenario – inadvertent release of pathogenic viruses from U.S. laboratory control, is based on real events. The ensuing recovery mission becomes frantic before vials fall into the wrong hands, or disease outbreak occurs in a most unlikely place. (Available in paperback or e-book, from www.authorhouse.com)

His pending release, Civil War Comes Home, a work of narrated nonfiction, chronicles what it was like to live in a small, sleepy Southern town, Williamsburg, Virginia when the Civil War arrives on the doorstep. As the author lives here and has first-hand knowledge of the locations –from town to college to battlefield, the diverse perspectives of slaves, students, soldiers, and townspeople are told in authentic detail. Theirs are stories are of sacrifice and hardship, yet hope and perseverance. They provide insight about our predecessor’s determination and fortitude in the aftermath of pitched battle, Emancipation of slaves, and lengthy Federal occupation –events of 150 years ago.