While practicing law in a divided Midwestern state, Franklin Archibald Dick, an 1842 Penn alumnus, was a Philadelphian caught in the thicket of Civil War tension in St. Louis.
And after years in storage, Dick's journals will finally come out into the open. Dick's great-great granddaughter, Gari Carter, will be at the Penn Bookstore tonight at 6 p.m. to discuss her new work, "Troubled State: Civil War Journals of Franklin Archibald Dick, " in which she publishes Dick's journal entries.
In contrast to the majority of Civil War literature, "Troubled State" chronicles the war from a more personal perspective and attempts to shed light on a region not frequently discussed in Civil War history - the Midwest.
When she studied history in college, Carter said, her lectures focused on East Coast battles. In her new work, audience members will hear about "a totally different aspect" of the Civil War.
"Troubled State" also offers an individualized take on many important historical personalities. Dick was a personal friend of President Abraham Lincoln and General Ulysses Grant and was frequently summoned from Missouri to inform Lincoln of recent developments.
"Here was a chance to read a first-hand account of someone who was actually there," Carter said of the journals.
The Penn Bookstore is an appropriate venue for Carter's appearance tonight - although Dick spent the years of the Civil War in the Midwest, his family lived in Philadelphia. According to Carter, his "official residence" was on the northwest corner of Spruce and 9th Streets in 1861, and four years later the Dick family called 715 Locust Street their home.
Likewise, "Troubled State" offers a peek into Philadelphia life during the Civil War, such as the reaction among residents to General Robert Lee's surrender.
Carter also emphasized that "Troubled State" is "designed for anybody to read" rather than a reference book for history majors.
"It's almost like a page turner." Carter said. "As I was deciphering each page, I wanted to know what happened next."
"Troubled State" is Carter's second book. In 1982, Carter was severely injured in a car crash while driving in Virginia. Her recovery and subsequent discovery of creative writing as a means of expression are detailed in her first book, "Healing Myself."
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