- Dr. David Todd (or Tod) Gilliam, Captain, West Virginia 2nd Cavalry, Gynecological Medicine Pioneer - Dick Devereu: A Story of the Civil War, a rare first edition first (and only) printing inscribed by the author. Copyright 1915 (in England). Not only is this one of the only known signed copies of this book, the book itself is incredibly scarce. This book is a romantic novel that is set during the American Civil War in Ohio. The author, Dr. David Tod Gilliam was a Civil veteran who served in the Union Army from 1861 to 1863 and was honorably discharged after he was deemed incurably ill. He later studied medicine and became a world-renowned gynecologist, having invented a number of various instruments that have become the norm in that specialty. The book is in good condition commensurate with age and use. This is a very difficult-to-find book, especially as a first edition AND signed by the author. The boards exhibit wear, fading, and some minor water damage. The binding and leaves are intact. Dr. Gilliam’s autobiography includes details about his military service held at West Virginia University. Dr. Gilliam, an Ohio native, mentions his Civil War service in the WV 2nd. Cavalry in great detail including the exact dates for his experiences in that regiment. He mentions (p. 222) that this portion of his memoir is based on a pocket diary kept during the war. The rest of the manuscript contains few definite dates but does mention his careers subsequent to that in the WV 2nd. Cavalry and as an exchanged prisoner of war. Prominent among these are his service in the Ohio Militia during the Morgan raid late in the Civil War. Also mentioned are his marriage, family, and medical career and reunions of Civil War veterans. The 2nd West Virginia Cavalry was a stories and decorated unit that saw much action throughout the Civil War. From Wikipedia: The 2nd West Virginia Cavalry Regiment served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was organized in Parkersburg, Virginia (now West Virginia) during September 1861. Most of the original members of this regiment were from southeastern Ohio, and planners thought that this regiment would become the 4th Ohio Cavalry. Their application was rejected by the governor of Ohio, so the unit became the 2nd Regiment of Loyal Virginia Volunteer Cavalry. The "Loyal Virginia" part of the name was replaced with \West Virginia after the state of West Virginia was officially admitted to the Union in 1863. Today, the National Park Service lists them as 2nd Regiment, West Virginia Cavalry under a heading of Union West Virginia Volunteers. The regiment's first full–fledged war experience happened in early January 1862 in northeastern Kentucky, where they assisted the command of Colonel James A. Garfield. For the next two years, most of the regiment's fighting was in the mountainous backwoods of what later became the southern portion of West Virginia, especially the Kanawha River Valley. During the Kanawha Campaign in September 1862, the 2nd Regiment of Loyal Virginia Volunteer Cavalry cleared away Confederate cavalry that intended to prevent a retreating Union Army from reaching the safety of Ohio. By 1864, the regiment was part of the Army of West Virginia, and spent much of its time fighting in the western portion of today's state of Virginia. It participated in General David Hunter's unsuccessful raid on Lynchburg. It also participated in Union General Philip Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, playing an important part in the Third Battle of Winchester. On November 28, 1864, about 240 members of the regiment completed their 3-year enlistment and mustered out. The regiment was then reorganized into five companies. By the end of 1864, the regiment was part of General George Armstrong Custers 3rd Division, Cavalry Corps—which, along with another division, remained under the command of General Sheridan. Sheridan's two cavalry divisions continued to fight in the Shenandoah Valley, and were responsible for eliminating Confederate General Jubal Earlys Army of the Valley from the war. During March 1865, Sheridan moved his two divisions eastward toward Petersburg, Virginia. The regiment, as part of Capehart's Fighting Brigade in Custer's division, was part of a crucial cavalry charge in the Union victory at the Battle of Sailor's Creek. The regiment was also present during the Appomattox Campaign and the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. After the war, the 2nd West Virginia Cavalry participated in the Grand Review of the Armies, and was mustered out on June 30, 1865. Four men from the regiment received the United States of America's highest military award, the Medal of Honor.