You get these stories and more as New Hampshire's favorite storyteller trains his eye on the men and women - past and present - who honor our country and on those who honor them. That includes Walpole filmmaker Ken Burns, who rekindled a national passion with "The Civil War." It includes the members of the Keene American Legion Band, who honor America every time they play. It includes the dedicated drivers from the Disabled American Veterans who make certain that no veteran goes without medical care and it includes the folks from the North Country who wouldn't rest until a suitable monument marked the site of a B-17 crash in the Maine wilderness.
They are heroes all, and in a time when we need heroes, their stories are all the more moving, inspiring and compelling.
"New Hampshire: War and Peace" was published by Peter Randall Publishers of Portsmouth. The price is $20, which includes postage and handling. To order books, call (603)-582-8804 or e-mail your requests to ulcolumnist@yahoo.com. Payment may be made by check or money order payable to In The City Publishing, 241 North St., Manchester, NH 03104. Orders are shipped within one week of receipt of payment. All books can be autographed and personalized by the author on request.
John Clayton, the award-winning columnist from The Union Leader, has assembled a compelling collection of his stories in a new book that captures the spirit of the New Hampshire men and women who have answered their country's call.
In "New Hampshire: War and Peace," you'll meet heroes ranging from Lancaster's Col. Edward Ephraim Cross - commander of the New Hampshire regiment that took more casualties than any other in the Civil War - to Rene Gagnon, the Manchester Marine who helped raise the flag at Iwo Jima. You'll also meet lesser-known (but no less-compelling) figures such as:
- The Last Boy in Blue
The drummer boy from Manchester was the last survivor of the Battle of Gettysburg but there was another battle, this time with the law, that marked his later life.
- The Boy General
In the wake of World War I, a 10-year-old from Exeter, now a resident of the Veteran's Home in Tilton, directed a rag-tag childhood army that charmed another general, John "Blackjack" Pershing.
- The Chosin Few
The men of New Hampshire were there in the frozen hills of Korea when the United States Marine Corps staged the most remarkable evacuation - 15,000 men - in the history of the American military.
- The Bow Scudbuster
When Iraqi missiles threatened American emplacements during operation Desert Storm, it was men like Sgt. Michael Neider who made the skies safe over Kuwait.
"He's a tireless gatherer of the threads of our State's culture and society; it's hard to tell a story about. . . the Granite State that he hasn't already marked as his own."
- New Hampshire Magazine
"Clayton focuses unerringly and intimately on the people. . . There is a warmth and an affection to his writing; you feel he's a part of the community he's chronicling."
- The Associated Press
"Life in New Hampshire's largest city produces all kinds of shared, familiar experiences that often go unnotices. Except by John Clayton."
- The Boston Globe
"Clayton writes gracefully and with great clarity. His wording is precise and his transitions are flawless, with one paragraph flowing into the next ever so smoothly."
- New Hampshire Press Association.
 New Hampshire The Way I See It... And rest assured, he sees it in a way that is unlike any other columnist in the Granite State. Price: $20 ISBN 0-9650684-3-9 |
 In The City Now in its fourth printing, "In The City" is loaded with "meaty Claytonisms," according to the New Hampshire Sunday News. Price: $18 ISBN 0-9650684-0-4 |
 Faces and Places In The City Another full-bore tour of Manchester with New Hampshire's most-honored columnist as your guide. Price: $18 ISBN 0-9650684-1-2 |
 Stark Realities In The City New Hampshire’s most Revolutionary War hero is just the jumping-off point for another round of reminiscing through 150 years of Manchester history. Price: $18 ISBN 0-9650684-2-0 |
