Civil War Reenactors, Rations, and a Reading and Book Signing By Pitt Law Alumnus to Be Held in Barco Law Building Feb. 22

PITTSBURGH-Author and Civil War reenactor Robert E. Eberly Jr. (LAW '69) will give a reading; sign copies of his book, Bouquets from the Cannon's Mouth (White Mane Publishing, 2005); and be joined by other military reenactors at 4 p.m. Feb. 22 as the University of Pittsburgh's Barco Law Building lobby takes on the feel of a Civil War encampment.

The free public event will include talks with the author and other Civil War reenactors and samplings of Civil War rations.

An attorney, Eberly is an historian with the 101st Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers. He has been a Civil War buff since his father took him to the Gettysburg battlefield at age 11.

Nearly a decade ago, Eberly had the occasion to search the National Archives in Washington, D.C. While exploring the military records, he located the diary of Uniontown native Thomas W. Springer, his great-great uncle. Eberly's relative had been captured and sent to a prison in Salisbury, N.C. A visit to the site, which had been an old cotton factory, spurred Eberly to write the book.

In Bouquets from the Cannon's Mouth, Eberly tells the story of the Eighth Regiment of the Pennsylvania Reserves during the Civil War. He focuses on five young soldiers from Fayette County, using letters, diaries, and other personal accounts to reveal "the heartbreak of the American Civil War and to bring to life the camaraderie of this 19th century band of brothers."

As explained in the book jacket, Bouquets from the Cannon's Mouth incorporates two rare prison diaries, one never before published, as well as 10 maps, six appendices, and numerous photographs.

Eberly, who retired from the Navy General Counsel's Office in 1996, is founder and first president of the Lowcountry Civil War Roundtable. He has published an award-winning short story on the Confederate military prison at Salisbury. Also active in battlefield preservation efforts, Eberly serves on the board of directors of the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg.

Eberly lives and writes on Hilton Head Island, N.C., a place he facetiously refers to on the book jacket as "a Yankee bastion in the cradle of the Confederacy."

Copies of Bouquets from the Cannon's Mouth will be available for purchase at the event. For more information, call 412-648-1373.

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