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Former CCU science professor writes Civil War book

Former Coastal Carolina University faculty member Valgene Dunham has written a book called "Alleghany to Appomattox: The Life and Letters of Private William Whitlock of the 188th New York Volunteers," which will be published in March.

A distinguished professor emeritus in the College of Science, Dunham is the author and co-author of numerous books and journal articles, but this is his first book outside the sciences.

He describes the book: “On September 7, 1864, William Whitlock, age 35, left his wife and four children in Allegany, NY and reported for duty at Dunkirk, NY in Company A, 188th NY Regiment for service to the Union in the US Civil War. During his time in the trenches in the siege of Petersburg, VA, he wrote at least 40 letters home to his wife and family. Over 100 years later, these unpublished letters were found in the attic of the family home and serve as the foundation of this book. The book describes the environment, enlistment, and the political atmosphere that resulted in the Civil War from the perspective of the farmer in both the North and the South.”

At Coastal since 1995, Dunham was dean of the College of Science until 2006, and then served as associate vice president of grants, contract administration and research planning.

Dunham earned a bachelor's of science degree in general science in 1962 from Houghton College in Houghton, N.Y., and a master's degree in general science in 1965 and a Ph.D. in botany in 1969, both from Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y. He conducted post-doctoral research from 1969 to 1973 at Purdue University.
 

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