Martyr of the Race Course

by Raymond C. Wilson

Overview

This is the true story of William Snyder Bressler who was raised on a farm in Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania. During the course of the Civil War, William and three of his brothers joined the Union Army. Private Bressler soon found himself involved in some of the bloodiest battles of the war during the Bristoe Campaign, the Mine Run Campaign, and the Overland Campaign. While his unit was assaulting a Confederate fortification called the Mule Shoe during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Private Bressler was wounded and captured. He and his fellow prisoners made their way south to Camp Sumter in Georgia, where they suffered immensely under the horrendous conditions at Andersonville -- the largest and deadliest prisoner of war (POW) camp. When Major General Sherman's forces occupied Atlanta, many of Andersonville's prisoners (including Private Bressler) were moved to POW camps in South Carolina. Private Bressler spent the last four months of his life at the Washington Race Course POW Camp in Charleston. After perishing from disease, Private Bressler was buried in a mass grave along with 256 of his fellow POWs. The moving ceremony that was conducted by newly-freed slaves to honor each 'Martyr of the Race Course' has been officially recognized as America's first Memorial Day celebration. This book was written by the 3rd great grandson of Private William Snyder Bressler.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940164893668
Publisher:	Raymond C. Wilson
Publication date:	04/25/2021
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	746,371
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Raymond C. Wilson is a military historian, filmmaker, and amateur genealogist. During his military career as an enlisted soldier, warrant officer, and commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years, Wilson served in a number of interesting assignments both stateside and overseas. He had the honor of serving as Administrative Assistant to Brigadier General George S. Patton (son of famed WWII general) at the Armor School; Administrative Assistant to General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley at the Pentagon; and Military Assistant to the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. In 1984, Wilson was nominated by the U.S. Army Adjutant General Branch to serve as a White House Fellow in Washington, D.C.

While on active duty, Wilson authored numerous Army regulations as well as articles for professional journals including 1775 (Adjutant General Corps Regimental Association magazine), Program Manager (Journal of the Defense Systems Management College), and Army Trainer magazine. He also wrote, directed, and produced three training films for Army-wide distribution. He is an associate member of the Military Writers Society of America.

Following his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1992, Wilson made a career change to the education field. He served as Vice President of Admissions and Development at Florida Air Academy; Vice President of Admissions and Community Relations at Oak Ridge Military Academy; Adjunct Professor of Corresponding Studies at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; and Senior Academic Advisor at Eastern Florida State College.

While working at Florida Air Academy, Wilson wrote articles for several popular publications including the Vincent Curtis Educational Register and the South Florida Parenting Magazine. At Oak Ridge Military Academy, Wilson co-wrote and co-directed two teen reality shows that appeared on national television (Nickelodeon & ABC Family Channel). As an Adjunct Professor at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Wilson taught effective communications and military history for eighteen years. At Eastern Florida State College, Wilson wrote, directed, and produced a documentary entitled "Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence" for the Chi Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.

Since retiring from Eastern Florida State College, Wilson has devoted countless hours working on book manuscripts.