Review of “Deliver Us from This Cruel War”, by Jeffrey M Girvan

Last week while doing research on the Co. F, 55th North Carolina Infantry, I found information about this book “Deliver Us From the Cruel War” written by Jeffrey M. Girvan. Mr. Girvan used the letters that Cleveland County resident Lieutenant Joseph J. Hoyle wrote to his wife during his duty in the Civil War. I was so moved and excited, because I wanted to understand the life and times of my ancestor Aaron Cook Sr. who fought in this same Company. I purchased the Kindle version on Amazon and was captivated for the rest of the day! I would like to encourage those who had ancestors who fought in this company to read this book. There are many references to the soldiers in this company as Joseph would write Sarah Self Hoyle, his wife, about their family and friends, who were in that company. I was wanting to find out why my Aaron would be AWOL sometimes. Joseph did not tell that, but he mentioned that they would shoot those soldiers when they brought them back, and this was stressful for him. There were many who could not take the stress of the war.  The letters are dated and he tells us where he was stationed at each time of writing her. One can compare the Battles of the Civil War with his letters. He often asked about the neighbors at St. Peters.

After reading this book, I am more grateful to those who fought in the military then and those who are still giving their lives fighting for our freedom today.