Local historians attend book signing

Dan Cole (left) and Liam McKone as Captain Lonergan at Barnes and Noble in South Burlington on April 1. Photo by Jenny Cole.

An event honoring Vermont’s Civil War history took place at Barnes and Noble Booksellers in South Burlington on April 1. A portion of the day’s sales supported the restoration of Major General George J. Stannard’s post-war house in Milton. Stannard’s heroic actions in the Civil War, most notably at Gettysburg, make him a Vermont hero.

On behalf of the Charlotte Historical Society, Dan Cole is on a committee working on the Vermont Civil War heritage trail. As such, he was asked to participate in a book-signing as part of a fundraising event for the General Stannard House.

Cole is author of Upon Us Rests the Burden: The Civil War Experience of a Small Vermont Town (Charlotte).

A heavy snow storm did not deter many history buffs from attending the event, Cole said. Other authors were present for the book signing portion of the event: Howard Coffin, well-known historian, lecturer, and author of Full Duty, Vermonters in the Civil War, Nine-Months to Gettysburg, The Battered Stars and Something Abides; William L. “Liam” McKone, Irish history expert, Civil War re-enactor and author of Vermont’s Irish Rebel, Capt. John Lonergan–Civil War Hero; and Gary Furlong, teacher, historian and author of Images of Milton.