Proceeds from sale of the book support the State Historical Society of Iowa
“Profiles of Valor: Iowa’s Medal of Honor Recipients of the Civil War,” authored by Sen. Dennis Black of Lynnville, is now available at the Iowa Museum Store at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines. You may visit the shop, order by mailed form, or order by phone to purchase this title. The book is also expected to be available at retail stores throughout the state.
Authorized in 1861 by President Abraham Lincoln, the Medal of Honor has recognized the valor and sacrifice of fewer than 3,500 soldiers, more than half of them posthumously. One-hundred eight Iowans have received the award, including the 57 Iowa Civil War soldiers profiled in this new book.
Black said he has been fascinated with the Civil War since his youth, when he learned both of his paternal great-great-grandfathers were casualties of the Confederate States’ rebellion against the Union.
Those connections inspired him to research thousands of official documents in an attempt to identify the medal’s recipients with connections to the state of Iowa, from the Civil War through Vietnam.
Illustrated with more than 90 photographs of Iowa’s recipients, medals and other Civil War-related scenes for the book, which includes detailed biographical information of the recipients as well as a history of events before, during and after the Civil War in Iowa.
The book is 480 pages and retails for $44.95/hardcover and $29.95/softbound. Shipping is available for an additional fee. Call the Iowa Museum Store at 515-281-7395 to order or for more information.
When Macy Mixdorf was gathering information before writing a paper for a school project recently, she took the opportunity to visit a local book-signing. Author and State Sen. Dennis Black of Lynnville was signing copies of “Profiles of Valor” Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010 during the annual “Christmas by the Lake” festival in Clear Lake. Hosted by Dana’s Decorating Studio & Gift Shop in Clear Lake and the Clear Lake Historical Society, the event drew a number of interested local residents, including Macy and her brother, Andrew Mixdorf. They enjoyed the opportunity to visit with the senator, ask pertinent questions, and sample some of the refreshments served..
