Dennette Derby McDermott a native of Michigan, earned music degrees at Michigan State and The University of Michigan. She currently lives in Natchitoches, Louisiana where she is Professor of Flute and Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Music at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Her musical performances have taken her to several countries around the world. She also enjoys performing and researching Czech music and publishing 18th century music manuscripts.
The Civil War letters of Dwight J. Brewer, my Great Great Grandfather, stayed in their original envelopes for 150 years. I studied them carefully hoping to discover the story they tell, of the conditions of war, and the journey of the Michigan Twentieth Infantry. These brave men traveled from Fredericksburg to New Port News to Vicksburg to Cumberland and to Knoxville. As I hold these letters in my hands, I try to imagine the settings in which they were written. I imagine the sounds and sights of camp, long marches, travel by train or steamer, and those battles that seem to come alive as I read the descriptive words. A step back in time allows for a greater appreciation and understanding of the present. These clear and well composed letters that were written to Dwight's family members, appear here in facsimile in conjunction with pages of Dwight's diary. I am forever grateful to my family for preserving our past.