author
James R. (James Roberts) Gilmore
1822–1903
Known to many readers as Edmund Kirke, this 19th-century American writer turned firsthand observation of the Civil War era into vivid books about the South, politics, and national life. He also moved in the orbit of Abraham Lincoln, giving his work an unusual closeness to the events of his time.
1 Audiobook
Among the Pines; or, South in Secession Time
by James R. (James Roberts) Gilmore
About the author
Born in Boston in 1822, James Roberts Gilmore began in business before becoming an author and journalist. Several archival and bibliographic sources identify him as both a businessman and writer, and note that he often published under the pseudonym Edmund Kirke.
Gilmore is best remembered for books shaped by his travels and reporting during the Civil War period, including Among the Pines, My Southern Friends, Down in Tennessee, and On the Border. His writing focused on Southern life, slavery, war, and American politics, giving readers a strongly contemporary view of a country in crisis.
He is also associated with Abraham Lincoln's era in a more direct way than most authors: historical and archival sources connect him with an unofficial peace mission to meet Jefferson Davis during the war. Gilmore died in 1903, leaving behind a body of work that blends reportage, political interest, and storytelling from one of the most turbulent periods in U.S. history.