As our country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, Visit Hardy and WordPlay bookstore are partnering to present History Speaks, a series of author talks exploring America’s history and fight for nationhood. History Speaks events will be held in the Family Life Center at Duffey Memorial Methodist Church, 100 N. Elm Street, in Moorefield, West Virginia.
These free events provide an opportunity for the community to meet authors and historians, learn about their research, and hear how the introduction of diverse ethnic traditions and international events not only impacted colonial coastal towns and cities but also America’s rural Backcountry.
The series kicks off on Sunday, April 12, at 2:00PM when author Gabriel Neville discusses his book, The Last Men Standing: The 8th VA Regiment in the American Revolution. After years of research, Neville reveals the true and fascinating stories of the 8th Virginia Regiment’s soldiers—from their lives as immigrant children to their last days on the frontier. Every identifiable man who served in the regiment is included.
Hailed by George Bancroft as “one of the most perfect battalions of the American Army,” the 8th Virginia Regiment was unique in the Continental Army. Nearly 800 men followed the famous “fighting parson” Colonel Peter Muhlenberg into service in 1776. Frequently divided and detached, the regiment’s men served almost everywhere: Charleston, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Short Hills, Cooch’s Bridge, Brandywine, Saratoga, Germantown, Valley Forge, and Monmouth. They suffered—and many died—from frostbite, malaria, smallpox, malnourishment, musket balls, bayonets, and cruel imprisonment. Their numbers dwindled until only a few remained to help corner Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown. Victorious, those who survived turned west to build the nation we know.
In addition to The Last Men Standing, Neville is the author of the 8th Virginia Regiment and Revolutionary Virginia websites and has written numerous essays about Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the western frontier in America’s founding era. He is a former journalist and senior staffer in the U.S. Congress, now working as a business advisor. Raised in Pennsylvania, Neville lives in Virginia with his wife and children.
The next two events in the History Speaks series feature Gerald Milnes discussing The American Log Cabin: Folk Architecture and Lore on the Old Frontier on Sunday, May 17, and Richard Bell discussing The American Revolution and the Fate of the World on June 14. Both events begin at 2:00PM.
Featured books in the History Speaks series can be purchased in advance at WordPlay, 50 West Main Street, in Wardensville. Books will also be available for purchase and signing at each event. The series is free and open to the public; no reservations required. For more information, email info@wordplaywv.com.
