Shop

Rebel of ’61

$29.95


Written by Joseph R. Stonebraker

Annotated and Edited by Sandra D. Izer for the Washington County Historical Trust

In 1899, Joseph R. Stonebraker published his memoirs so that  “. . .my children may know the part I took in the War between the States. . .” The result was a charming little book that sold very few copies, overshadowed by the hundreds of other Civil War memoirs published at the same time.

Rebel is more than the adventures of a Confederate cavalryman who did not surrender at Appomattox; Stonebraker’s Rebel is a rare, first-hand, detailed account of life in pre-war Washington County, with many stories and remembrances about local places and events, that would have been lost forever had Stonebraker not written this book.

This 2016 annotated and expanded edition of A Rebel of ‘61 takes Stonebraker’s story and embellishes it with hundreds of footnotes, facts, maps, photographs, complete with an index.  Local historian Sandra Izer added some exciting twists to this already interesting tale with some significant new historical “finds” including the correct location of the famous Keller House in Funkstown, and the addition of several chapters to complete the Stonebraker saga. Another important addition is the long-lost “first Battle of Funkstown.”  While writing Rebel, Stonebraker related the story of the 1823 St. Patrick’s Day Irish rebellion in Funkstown. Stonebraker knew that local legislator Thomas Kennedy had written a poem entitled “The Battle of Funkstown” memorializing the incident, but regretted he could not locate a copy. After many years of searching, a rare surviving copy of Kennedy’s poem was located and, for the first time in almost 200 years, reprinted it in this book.

(Note: this item has a five-dollar shipping rate included in the cost of the item. In-store price is $24.95)

Category: .
Description

Written by Joseph R. Stonebraker

Annotated and Edited by Sandra D. Izer for the Washington County Historical Trust

In 1899, Joseph R. Stonebraker published his memoirs so that  “. . .my children may know the part I took in the War between the States. . .” The result was a charming little book that sold very few copies, overshadowed by the hundreds of other Civil War memoirs published at the same time.

Rebel is more than the adventures of a Confederate cavalryman who did not surrender at Appomattox; Stonebraker’s Rebel is a rare, first-hand, detailed account of life in pre-war Washington County, with many stories and remembrances about local places and events, that would have been lost forever had Stonebraker not written this book.

This 2016 annotated and expanded edition of A Rebel of ‘61 takes Stonebraker’s story and embellishes it with hundreds of footnotes, facts, maps, photographs, complete with an index.  Local historian Sandra Izer added some exciting twists to this already interesting tale with some significant new historical “finds” including the correct location of the famous Keller House in Funkstown, and the addition of several chapters to complete the Stonebraker saga. Another important addition is the long-lost “first Battle of Funkstown.”  While writing Rebel, Stonebraker related the story of the 1823 St. Patrick’s Day Irish rebellion in Funkstown. Stonebraker knew that local legislator Thomas Kennedy had written a poem entitled “The Battle of Funkstown” memorializing the incident, but regretted he could not locate a copy. After many years of searching, a rare surviving copy of Kennedy’s poem was located and, for the first time in almost 200 years, reprinted it in this book.