Corinth native Steve Densmore
Growing up in Corinth as the middle child of seven siblings, Densmore found peace and joy exploring the outdoor tapestry of streams, trails, and waterfalls that surround the village.
After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, he went off to find employment down river at various community newspapers and magazines in the lower Hudson Valley.
An award-winning writer and journalist, Densmore spent nearly 30 years as a reporter, editor and publisher
before launching his own strategic communications firm that concentrates on grant writing and public relations for nonprofits, colleges, municipalities and businesses.
Densmore has settled into the Orange County Town of Montgomery with his wife, Jackie, and their children. Despite a rich and robust life, Densmore finds himself ever drawn back to his ancestral homeland in the Adirondack Mountains; its culture and lore continues to provide fodder for exploration and inspiration.
Most recently, Densmore authored a historical novel called Where the River Flows Both Ways. Densmore will soon be in Saratoga Springs for a book reading and signing event at 6 p.m. on Sept. 6 at Northshire Bookstore. Where the River Flows Both Ways is available for purchase on Amazon and in local bookstores. More information about the book can be found online at www.sedensmore.com.
Q: What is Where the River Flows Both Ways?
A: Where the River Flows Both Ways is a historical novel that takes place primarily during and immediately after the Civil War. It traces the journey of Ransford Densmore, a 21-yearold carpenter, out of a tiny, insulated Adirondack mill town and down the Hudson River, where his eyes are opened to burgeoning Industrial Age cities, cultural curiosities, and formative historical events along the way.
Long before they fight, the protagonist and an endearing collection of mates drill incessantly throughout the winter of 1861-62 at Camp Butterfield in northern Virginia, play the evolving game of baseball, and even participate in an epic snowball fight with another regiment. By the time they engage Confederate soldiers on the battlefield at Hanover Court House as part of the Union’s massive but failed Peninsula Campaign, the men of the 44th New York Infantry Regiment are deeply connected and stubbornly loyal to one another, sharing bonds that will last throughout their lives and color their post-war experiences as they do all veterans.
Ransford suffers a severe head wound in his first battle and, in spite of the medical deficiencies of the time, he somehow survives. After convalescing for nearly three months in a soldiers’ hospital in Albany - much of it drifting in and out of consciousness - under the watchful eye of the kindly Mrs. French and experiencing a vivid nightmare that both horrifies and motivates him, Ransford returns to Corinth a profoundly changed man.
Circumstances lead locals to turn to the wounded veteran and carpenter to help with the burials of many of the town’s dead as the bodies of the boys he grew up with are shipped back from the war with frightening regularity. In one climactic scene near the end of the war Ransford must grapple with the agony of burying the remains of his younger brother, Sylvanus, who dies of starvation at the infamous Andersonville Prison Camp.
Ransford evolves quickly into what becomes his new profession, that of funeral director for the town, and begins a dynasty of sorts as the family business eventually spans five generations, still in operation today.
Q: Why did you decide to write this book?
A: I wrote this book as a homage to my great, great grandfather, Ransford Densmore, and the legacy he wrought. Not only did he survive a terrible wound that frankly should have killed him, he went on to thrive and instill in his family a pride in serving its community that lasted for generations. As a veteran, he persevered despite the mental and physical ravages that must have followed his service in the greatest and most divisive war the nation has ever fought.
Q: What made you choose to write from the perspective of a Union soldier?
A: Few of the great works about the Civil War are told from the foot soldier’s perspective. Other than Stephen Crane’s incredible novel, The Red Badge of Courage, most Civil War books explore the political and military leaders of the time—Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Ulysses S. Grant—along with the strategy and military movements during the war’s major campaigns. In my research and writing of Where the River Flows Both Ways, I came to appreciate the “grunt’s” point of view.
Often they were the “last to know and the first to go,” constantly wondering when they would be sent into the maelstrom and what their generals were thinking. Despite horrible conditions that killed as many in camp as in battle, they fought with passion and courage. I came to realize that many soldiers didn’t fight for the lofty ideals ascribed to them as much as they fought for each other. And yet, when all was said and done, they were liberators, they freed the slaves, and paid a terrible price for it.
Long before post traumatic stress disorder was identified and Viet Nam War veterans began receiving treatment for it, Civil War veterans were suffering the terrifying after effects of a war of unmatched carnage. Seventy young men from Corinth enlisted in the Civil War. Of that number 20 died, including Ransford’s brother, Sylvanus, who perished of starvation at the notorious Andersonville Prison Camp. From the records, virtually all of Corinth’s soldiers were privates or corporals.
Q: Did you hear about Ransford’s story much as a child?
A: My parents, Pauline and Irving Densmore, would take our entire family — all seven kids — in a jam packed station wagon to historical sites throughout the Northeast. One of our regular stops was Gettysburg Battlefield, where I became fascinated by the great and meaningful struggle that occurred there. My father would bring us to the monument to the 44th New York Infantry Regiment built at the top of Little Round Top and proudly point to his great great grandfather’s name on a bronze plaque listing all of the regiment’s members.
Although my father was aware of Ransford’s service and his wound, he and the family did not know the full story of his regiment and the details behind his time in the 44th. As I started to research the book I discovered more and more fascinating details and colorful stories associated with both the regiment and Ransford’s post war experiences.
Wanting the book to be as historically accurate as possible, I ended up reading several books, acquiring documents from the New York State Military Museum in Saratoga Springs, and visiting the Hanover Court House battle site in northern Virginia. In all the novel took several years to write.
Q: You have an upcoming event at Northshire Bookstore. What can attendees expect?
A: I’m extremely pleased to have been invited to host a book signing and selected readings of Where the River Flows Both Ways on Friday, Sept. 6th at Northshire Bookstore. It is a wonderful independent bookstore that I regularly visit when I’m back upstate. I will be on hand to sign copies of the novel, visit with people interested in the book and read from samples during the two hour gathering.
It should be a nice event.