Author John A. Ursillo's New Book, "Elissa's Legacy," Is A Compelling Historical Fiction That Follows A Young Woman Who Serves in The Civil War Disguised As A Man
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PR.comAuthor John A. Ursillo's New Book, "Elissa's Legacy," Is A Compelling Historical Fiction That Follows A Young Woman Who Serves in The Civil War Disguised As A Man
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PR.comAuthor John A.
Ursillo’s New Book, "Elissa's Legacy," is a Compelling
Historical Fiction That Follows a Young Woman Who Serves in the Civil War
Disguised as a Man
Recent release “Elissa's Legacy” from Covenant Books author John A. Ursillo is a fascinating
historical fiction that centers around Elissa, a young woman whose path leads her to fighting in the
American Civil War under the guise of being a man. Inspired by true accounts of female military
participation, “Elissa’s Legacy” explores how Elissa’s actions come to impact her descendants.
Richland, WA June 13, 2025 --(PR.com)-- John A. Ursillo, was commissioned in the US Army on
graduation from Northeastern University and holds a lifelong interest in all things historical and military,
has completed his new book, “Elissa's Legacy”: a thrilling novel that centers around a young woman who
makes a bold choice to serve as a man during the American Civil War, as well as the last impacting her
actions have on her descendants.
“The story in ‘Elissa’s Legacy’ came about from an encounter with a side of CW history that had been
introduced to me by my daughter, a doctoral occupational therapist with the Veterans’ Administration: an
awareness of the phenomenon of women serving as men in the Civil War,” writes Ursillo. “Research
discovered that the role of women on the home front as nurses grew from small beginnings (home front
volunteers) to the formal introduction of the Dorothea Dix Corps of Nurses and morphed into first ad hoc
assistance closer to the field of battle within military field hospitals both North and South.
“I discovered there was far more to this early female participation (i.e., the phenomenon of women
serving in disguise as men in actual combat), hundreds of them by the War Department actual count. The
success of these growing pains was the eventual system of military medical services that exist today.
“Deeper research into both areas of interest was spurred by my acquisition of a signed limited edition,
1864, copy of a memoir self-published by such a participant: Emma Edmonds, who served as a nurse,
soldier, and spy. My copy was no. 51 in the edition, signed by Emma for the buyer, Miss Lucy Vanilly.
“The current work is not a retelling of Miss Edmonds’s story (which has been formally republished) but
my attempt to meld the phenomenon of women in Civil War military service with the concept of how the
actions and experiences of previous generations of a family (my character Elissa’s family and my family)
can strongly influence behavior, mores, and actions of their descendants. I know this to be true from my
own military service (Ordnance Corps EOD), my comrades, and those who currently serve.”
Published by Covenant Books of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, John A. Ursillo’s new book will
captivate readers as they discover an often-overlooked facet of the American Civil War, highlighting the
contributions made from those who have been lost to the annals of history.
Readers can purchase “Elissa's Legacy” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store,
Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
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Covenant Books is an international Christian owned and operated publishing house based in Murrells
Inlet, South Carolina. Covenant Books specializes in all genres of work which appeal to the Christian
market. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Covenant Books at 843-507-8373.
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Contact Information:
Covenant Books
Media Department
800-452-3515
Contact via Email
www.covenantbooks.com
Online Version of Press Release:
https://www.pr.com/press-release/940545
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