James Moses Nichols

author

James Moses Nichols

1835–1886

A Civil War officer turned author, he wrote with the urgency of someone who had lived the history himself. His best-known work, Perry's Saints, preserves the story of the 48th New York Regiment with a veteran's eye for detail and feeling.

1 Audiobook

Perry's Saints; Or, The Fighting Parson's Regiment in the War of the Rebellion

Perry's Saints; Or, The Fighting Parson's Regiment in the War of the Rebellion

by James Moses Nichols

About the author

Born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1835, he was educated in the local public schools, prepared for college at Phillips Academy in Andover, and graduated from Williams College in 1857. A memorial sketch published with Perry's Saints notes that he was a fellow student of future president James A. Garfield.

When the Civil War began after Fort Sumter, he joined the Union cause and helped with enlistment before receiving a commission in the 48th New York Regiment. He served for three years, rising from lieutenant to captain, and the memorial sketch describes him as deeply devoted to duty and remembered for strong soldierly qualities.

He is best known for Perry's Saints; Or, The Fighting Parson's Regiment in the War of the Rebellion, a regimental history completed shortly before his death in 1886. The book stands out because it combines personal experience with a clear desire to preserve the memory of the men who served.