George Whitefield Powers

George Whitefield Powers (1834–1903) was an American writer and compiler whose surviving published work shows two clear interests: history and literature. He is credited as the author of The Story of the Thirty-Eighth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers and as the compiler of Handy Dictionary of Poetical Quotations, published in 1901.

His best-known historical book focuses on the Thirty-Eighth Massachusetts Volunteers, helping preserve the experiences of soldiers who served in the Civil War. That kind of regimental history was especially valuable in the late 19th century, when veterans and their families were trying to record firsthand memories before they disappeared.

Powers also worked in a very different but equally practical genre: the quotation book. Handy Dictionary of Poetical Quotations suggests a writer interested not only in military remembrance, but also in making literature easy to browse and use. While detailed biographical information about his personal life is limited in the sources readily available here, his books leave the impression of a careful compiler who wanted useful reading and historical memory to last.