Professor Takes New Look at Civil War
Posted March 25, 2003FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
York, PA – Stories of survival during wars and other stressful times are often powerful and encouraging. Victor Taylor, Assistant Professor of English and Humanities at York College of Pennsylvania, has assembled The Religious Pray, The Profane Swear: A Civil War Memoir based on the trials and tribulations of Robert Loudon Drummond, a prisoner during the Civil War. “Robert Drummond's life and memoir gave me an opportunity to pursue my scholarly interests and, at the same time, preserve an important part of American history,” Taylor said of the seven-year project.
Taylor began the journey to recreate Drummond's experiences by accident while attending Syracuse University. The Cayuga Museum of Art and History in Auburn, New York became the topic of class discussion. Once the class ended, a fellow student revealed that he had a portion of a “story” written by “someone from Auburn.” Taylor was curious enough to investigate the subject further. It turned out that the classmate had a portion of Reminiscences written by Robert Loudon Drummond.
The Religious Pray, The Profane Swear: A Civil War Memoir is a collection of Drummond's experiences during his capture and survival in two Confederate prisons, Libby and Salisbury, with a reproduction of Personal Reminiscences of Prison Life During the War of Rebellion. Taylor has provided a commentary and biography of Drummond for the book. For more information please contact Andrea DiRuscio at (717) 815-1309.
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