Two Nahant men, both members of the Nahant Historical Society, had a quest. They wanted to honor the men from Nahant, or with Nahant connections, who served in the Civil War. They researched and investigated anyone connected to town who performed military service. They explored many avenues in search of information, including contacting agencies in Washington, D.C., writing letters and traveling to other towns. Once they had accumulated a ‘shopping bag’ of information, in stepped Calantha Sears, then Curator of the Society, to help organize the information and get it published. She sought a grant and then contacted Dr. Steve C. Eames, a professor of history at Mt. Ida College, to complete the job.
In 2007, thanks to the generosity of Ralph Lowell, Jr, the Bay State Historical League, and the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, the tremendous efforts of Bill Twiss and Austin Brewin culminated in the publication, Sacrifice of Self, Nahant and the Civil War. The book was awarded the Albert B. Corey Award for excellence in local historical endeavor from the American Association of State and Local History.
Sacrifice of Self tells the story of Nahant and the Civil War. It is the story of the men who went to war, the community who stayed behind, and the impact of that great conflict on the veterans and the town of Nahant in the decades that followed Appomattox. While Nahant’s story is similar to many communities and their stories of the men who served and then returned, its story is somewhat unique in that Nahant’s future was formed by these men and their experiences in this war and in life.
Steven Eames brings the community that was Nahant in the 1860s to life once again, and brings us into the lives of those who continued to serve this unique town long after the battles were over.
Please enjoy this video presentation: