“Soldier, Come Home: A Civil War Story”
By Frank W. Wicks
Broadcast Date: Saturday, October 15, 2022 @ 11:15 a.m. (A Rebroadcast)
“A Stunning Civil War Story”
“The letters actually become a play, inviting us into the lives of one family dealing with war, separation and, ultimately, hope. It’s gripping, fascinating theater.”
The letters were written 1859 to 1865 from western Pennsylvania and from several major Civil War battle sites, including Antietam, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, the siege of Petersburg, and Appomattox.
Frank W. Wicks, transformed the letters of his great-grandparents, Philip and Mary Pringle, into a play. Mary Pringle wrote to her husband from Armagh, Pennsylvania, while he responded from several major Civil War battle sites, including Antietam, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, the siege of Petersburg, and Appomattox.
In 1950, these long-forgotten letters, written from 1859 -1865, were discovered in a shoe box in the attic of the home of Wicks' grandparents, John S. Wicks and Sadie Pringle Wicks, in South Fork, Pennsylvania. Wicks' father, Frank Wicks, Sr., began to transcribe the letters. After his father's death, Wicks continued the project and began work on "Soldier, Come Home."
"I was struck from the beginning by the emotional content of the letters," Wicks said. "They were filled with conflicts, complicated relationships, humor, enormous difficulties and struggles for survival. I felt that the energy of the letters, plus their historical importance, would make an interesting dramatic presentation."
WGTD Radio Theater Steve Brown Co-Executive Producer, who is directing Frank Wicks’ Civil War play, says, “This is an extraordinary story of courage, honesty, love, and hope for a new future for America…for both the North and the South. In addition, the true magic of Frank Wicks’ play is in its simplicity which comes alive through the letters that are read to the audience. These letters become the dialogue, the conflicts, the humor and the emotions that totally take over the moment this play begins.”
Stars from the 91.1 Players, who appear in this very special performance, are: Andrew Potter, Alexa Eaves, Todd Eaves, John O’Leksy, and Don Jensen.