author
John Mead Gould
1839–1930
A Civil War officer from Portland, Maine, he turned lived experience into practical and memorable books on soldiering, camping, and local history. His writing blends firsthand detail with a plainspoken style that still feels useful and vivid.
2 Audiobooks
About the author
Born in Portland, Maine, in 1839, he served in the Union Army during the Civil War and later became closely identified with the history of Maine regiments. Archival and library records describe him as a veteran, bank clerk, and writer whose work drew directly on his wartime service and long interest in public memory.
He is best known for writing about the First, Tenth, and Twenty-Ninth Maine regiments, and for practical outdoor books such as How to Camp Out. Maine Memory Network also notes that he wrote about Portland and remained active in civic, scientific, veterans', and temperance organizations.
His career gives his books a distinctive mix of authority and accessibility: he wrote as someone who had seen army life firsthand, but also as a careful local historian who wanted everyday readers to understand what happened and how people lived.