author
John Mead Gould
1839–1930
A Civil War officer from Portland, Maine, he turned his wartime experience and lifelong curiosity into vivid writing about soldiers, camping, and local history. His books blend firsthand detail with a practical, observant voice that still feels close to the ground.
2 Audiobooks
About the author
John Mead Gould was born in 1839 and spent most of his life in Portland, Maine. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War, first with the 1st Maine and later with the 10th and 29th Maine regiments, eventually becoming a major. Archival collections and historical records also describe him as a bank clerk or teller in Portland, showing how closely his military and civilian lives were both tied to his home city.
As a writer, Gould is best known for History of the First-Tenth-Twenty-ninth Maine Regiment, drawn in part from the diary he kept during the war. He also wrote How to Camp Out and a study of General Joseph K. F. Mansfield, revealing a range that stretched from battlefield memory to practical outdoor advice. That mix helps explain his appeal: he wrote as someone who had seen hard things firsthand but also cared about everyday skills and clear instruction.
Later accounts of his life show a man active in veterans' groups, church and temperance work, and organizations such as the Portland White Mountain Club and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He died in 1930, leaving behind diaries, papers, and photographs that preserve both his own story and a wider picture of 19th-century New England life.