Cassville, Missouri author publishes rare collection of his Great Grandfather’s Civil War experiences

 

Memoirs of an Ozark Pioneer and Civil War Soldier –

Private James Frances Coatney,

First Arkansas Union Cavalry, Company D

 

 

Born and raised in Eagle Rock, Missouri, T.R. Coatney grew up in the 1950’s listening to the oral history being passed down by his father.

 

As a kid I loved to sit around the woodstove at the old Eagle Rock store and listen to Dad and other old timers tell stories about the area. They couldn’t care less about what happened in Little Rock or St. Louis. My dad, Willie Coatney, especially enjoyed telling stories about his iconic grandfather James Frances Coatney who proudly served in Company D of the First Arkansas Union Cavalry during the Civil War. – T.R. Coatney

 

The Coatney Memoirs provide a candid glimpse into the lives of a simple pioneering family who tragically found themselves struggling to survive along the fragile seam that held North to South on the Missouri/Arkansas border when secession threatened to rip apart their beloved homeland.

 

The youngest son of an elderly father, who was himself the youngest son of an elderly father, T.R. Coatney’s Memoirs are a rare collection of childhood memories about his great grandfather, James Frances Coatney, a proud and patriotic private who served with honor during the Civil War.

 

For forty years I have tried to find glitches in the stories my father told, but every time I think I have found one, I find the stories ring true. I think he’s “up there” grinning at me for trying so hard. – T.R. Coatney

 

Edited by J.K. Phillips, local historian and author of Jakie Creek – Legacy of an Ozark Outlaw, the Coatney Memoirs also include the complete Company D Roster of the First Arkansas Union Cavalry, a valuable reference for any Civil War enthusiast.

 

T.R. Coatney’s memoirs provide a candid glimpse into a small part of that unrecorded fragile history that now teeters on the edge of extinction. His enthusiasm for local history and his folksy wit and humor make his stories engaging, yet heartwarming.” – J.K. Phillips

 

This is T.R. Coatney’s first book. A trade-size paperback, Memoirs of an Ozark Pioneer and Civil War Soldier is published by Jakie Spring Publishing and will be available at local book and gift stores throughout Missouri and Arkansas in April 2008. The suggested retail price is $10.00,

84 pages, ISBN 978-1-60461-436-7. A wooden countertop display which displays both books will also be available to retailers this spring – details to follow shortly.

Barry County Advertiser, January 17, 2007:



Carroll County News, January 23 2007:



Cassville Democrat, January 24, 2007:



The Rattler, January 24, 2007:

The Monett Times, February 10, 2007:

'Outlaw tells secrets of Barry County family'

The Nugget Newspaper, March 6, 2007:

'Sisters author shares story of outlaw ancestor'

The Nugget Newspaper, March 7, 2007: