Friday, August 08, 2014

[031] ‘MTSU On the Record’ takes a peek at a Civil War diary


MURFREESBORO — A rare chronicle of life as a Rebel soldier is the focus of the next edition of the “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Shirley Farris Jones, editor of “Letters to Mary: The Civil War Diary of Dr. John Kennerly Farris,” will air from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4, and from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 10, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and www.wmot.org).

Dr. Farris, a Hillsboro, Tennessee, native, was a hospital steward and assistant surgeon in Company I of the 41st Tennessee infantry. He wrote letters to his wife, Mary, and saved them as small diaries until he could find a way to mail them or send them home to Coffee County by messenger.

The letters were full of tales of battles, medical treatments, camp food and other aspects of fighting for the Confederacy. Shirley Farris Jones published the book 20 years ago, but the second printing includes additional material, including photos and illustrations.

“I came to know this man and to appreciate the quality of his character, the type of man he was, his dedication, his love for his family, his wife, his little boy,” Jones said. “He was a very honorable man.”


To listen to previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, go to http://www.mtsunews.com/ontherecord.

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