News Photo by Darby Hinkley ‘Throw Another Log on the Fire’ by the late Don Londo, is available for purchase at The Alpena News and Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan.

ALPENA — A local Civil War history book beckons for readers to learn some new facts about Alpena veterans.

“Throw Another Log on the Fire: The History and Stories of Alpena, Michigan’s Civil War Veterans” gives a detailed yet easy-to-read history of Civil War veterans from Alpena. The 20-chapter, 164-page book is a must-read for historians and residents alike. You may find some names you recognize, and learn some interesting new facts passed on through the author’s thorough research.

The book was published this year. Author Don Londo passed away on Dec. 29, 2022.

In spring 1995, Londo and his wife Evelyn visited the Chickamauga Battlefield in Georgia, where they took a walk through the woods at the battlefield site.

“As we entered the woods strange feelings came over me,” Don Londo wrote in the book’s introduction. “I remarked to Evelyn that I could feel Union soldiers running past me. Terror and panic gripped the air. After the feelings had left, we departed Chickamauga and continued our journey. As the years passed, the Chickamauga experience became a distant memory. It would not resurface for another 10 years. To my surprise there would be an Alpena connection.”

The visit sparked Londo’s interest in Civil War history, and he wanted to dig deeper. He joined the History Book Club and subscribed to Civil War Times magazine. While living in the Bay City area, he connected with Gordon McCallister, former Bay City policeman and Commander of the U.S. Grant Camp of the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War.

“He invited me to a meeting,” Londo wrote. “It only took one meeting and I was hooked. I joined the group that night.”

Londo retired and returned to Alpena in 1999. He read Bob Haltiner’s book, “The Town That Wouldn’t Die,” which talked about 30 Alpena men who enlisted to fight in the Civil War. Londo wanted to learn more about these men and share what he learned.

He spent over 10 years researching the Civil War veterans who had enlisted from Alpena and Northeast Michigan and remained in the area post-war.

“During my research, I encountered an Alpena Civil War veteran by the name of James J. Potter,” he wrote. “Potter, with the 22nd Michigan, was covering the retreat of the Union troops in the Chickamauga woods, when he was captured. Discovering this event brought new meaning to my Chickamauga experience.”

Chapters are written centering around veterans, including Arthur J. Irwin, Charles B. Greeley, Charles H. Martin, Don Hecox, Douglas Scott, George Guild, Henry Thompson, William Perry Maiden, Moses Charbonneau, Fredrick Barlow, James D. Turnbull, Frank Northrup, George Maltz, William H. Johnson, William H. Phelps, Zebulon Knight, Soloman Evans, John Ellsworth, and John Viall.

Londo was admired and well-respected in the community and among historians.

“I first met Don Londo when I attended a meeting of the local camp of SUVCW to inquire about membership,” Wayne McWilliams wrote in a summary on the back cover. “Don was always the ‘go to’ man within our organization and the glue that held us together.”

He added that “Don was a wealth of information about the small details of activities during the Civil War … I was always awed with his knowledge of Civil War events and admired his dedication to this task.”

Londo earned degrees in history and political science from Western Michigan University, with a minor in Spanish.

His wife Evelyn Londo explained how Don started researching the Civil War.

“He developed an interest in it because I have two great-uncles that died in it, and two great-grandfathers that served in it,” she said. “He was always interested in history.”

“Throw Another Log on the Fire” was published by Sarge Publications and printed by Allegra Alpena. It is available for $19.95 at The Alpena News and Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan.

Don Londo also wrote articles about Civil War veterans for The Alpena News for two years.

He participated in many Civil War reenactments and visited Gettysburg five or six times, including once as a member of the color guard for the peace monument at Gettysburg during the 150th anniversary marking the start of the Civil War. He also helped found the Alpena branch of the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War.

“He had a passion,” Evelyn Londo said. They were married 58 years. When it came to Civil War history, she said, “he loved it.”