By Donna Dalton
The idea for my historical romance THE REBEL WIFE evolved
from our current-day journalists chronicling the Iraq War. I wondered about the “embeds” of the past and
decided to research the newsmen of the American Civil War.
I credit Brayton Harris’ BLUE & GRAY IN BLACK &
WHITE with much of what I will talk about today. The information he provided
regarding the newspapers in the Civil War was invaluable.
Many of the correspondents who covered the War at the
beginning were already considered experienced newsmen. As months turned into years, those veteran
journalist were joined by novices and by war’s end some five hundred had served
as “special correspondents”. Only a
handful of the original newsmen were still in the field in 1865. Along the way,
some died, victims of a combat in which they were unlucky spectators . Nearly
fifty were held as prisoners of war. A few were promoted to editor and pulled
back to the home office. Some were fired for incompetence; others banished from
the Army for breaching the rules. Most were just plain worn out.
