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They had fought in different wars, in different centuries, but Holden felt a kinship with Cross. "He was a leader who knew how to get the most out of his men," says Holden, who himself fought under an outstanding general, Maj. Gen. Terry Allen. "You know the importance of good leadership if you've experienced it."

Holden recognized something else about Cross. He could write. More than a routine accounting of events, the words of this former newspaperman were opinionated and colorful, offering insight into the Civil War. And so Holden's search began.

Musket ball dent in the handle: by carrying this knife in his pocket, a soldier saved his own life. From the Civil War Collections.

He visited libraries and archives, wrote letters, and pored over news articles, hoping to find Cross's original journal. For a dozen years he persisted. And then, one day, after more letters and pleading and persuasion, he was standing in the same room with the journal of Edward E. Cross, Civil War soldier. "I was trembling with excitement," says Holden, who managed to convince the owner to part with the journal and other papers for $100. Thirty years later, when Holden donated the work to UNH, it was appraised at $14,600.

Holden's donation was inspired by his own experience. He knew the power these writings had had on his own life. And he knew that if Cross's work were made available to a wider audience, other young imaginations might someday catch fire.

With Holden's donation, a book project was born. Stand Firm and Fire Low (University of New England Press) is a readable collection of Cross's writings. Bill Ross, director of Special Collections, who edited the book with Holden and UNH archivist Elizabeth Slomba, calls the original journal "a remarkable piece," which the book amplifies with footnotes and further descriptions.

Holden's book accomplishes something else, too. It completes Cross's own mission. The colonel had hoped to tell his own story after the war, but never had the chance. After being wounded 13 times during the war, he was finally killed at the Battle of Gettysburg--presumably with his heart to the foe.

MUSIC MAN
The Alvah Sulloway Sheet Music Collection

Alvah Sulloway finally had to do it. He added a room to his house. It was the 1970s, and it wasn't that the family was growing--in fact three of his four boys were already out of his house in Kittery Point, Maine. It was just that his sheet music collection was taking over.

The attorney-turned-English-teacher had started his collection back in the 1960s. While teaching a high school seminar on 20th-century literature, he invited pianist Herbie Sulkin and vocalist Ray Dorey to treat the class to some show tunes. The students loved it. So did Sulloway. Before long, he was searching antique shops and bidding at auctions for 78s and sheet music.

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