On Thursday, October 15 at 7 p.m. the Hudson Library & Historical Society will host a live virtual streaming event with Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author S. C. Gwynne. Gwynne will discuss his book, Hymns of the Republic, a compelling narrative of the fourth and final year of the Civil War, a year that was one of history’s great turning points and one that defined the nation. Gwynne breathes new life into the epic battle between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant; the advent of 180,000 black soldiers in the Union army; William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to the Sea; the rise of Clara Barton; the election of 1864; the wild and violent guerrilla war in Missouri and the dramatic final events of the war, including Lee’s surrender at Appomattox and the murder of Abraham Lincoln. “A must-read for Civil War enthusiasts” according to Publishers Weekly, Hymns of the Republic earned a starred review from both Booklist and Kirkus Reviews. Gwynne is the author of two acclaimed New York Times bestselling books on American history: Empire of the Summer Moon, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award and Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson, which was named a finalist for both the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pen Literary Award for Biography. Gwynne holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton University and a master’s degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University. Copies of Hymns of the Republic will be available for purchase courtesy of the Learned Owl Book Shop. Registration for this program is required and a valid email address is required at time of registration. Participants will receive an email invitation to attend the program, hosted on Zoom, a day before the program begins. This event is sponsored by The Paul and Molly Bodden Memorial Fund. If you have any questions, please email askus@hudson.lib.oh.us or call (330) 653-6658 x1010.