Pat Ennis of Fayetteville will open the 24th Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend sharing the story of how the transcriptions of family diaries by Pat and her husband Bryan lead to “Union Bound,” a Civil War movie released in 2015.
Pat grew up knowing the oral story of her great, great grandfather Joseph Hoover, who had enlisted in the 121st Herkimer, was captured at the Wilderness, thrown into Andersonville and moved to Florence Prison when Sherman marched through Georgia. The movie follows Joseph and a fellow soldier as they escaped from Florence on September 21, 1864 and made their way to the Union lines 33 days later — with the help of slaves who were running away too. Hoover re-joined his unit and was shot at the siege of Petersburg, but survived and after the war spent most of his adult life in Utica. He is buried in Forest Hill cemetery, Utica.
Pat’s mother, Barbara Mott Crane, of Clinton, was two when her great grandfather died. Related to the Bouckville Applesauce Motts, Barbara was in real estate, a columnist on antiques, and involved in civic and historic organizations in Clinton. Barbara had always wanted to see Hoover’s diaries, so Pat decided to find them. A cousin loaned the two leather bound volumes to Pat for one year, and she and husband Bryan began transcribing the cramped pencil-recorded entries with a magnifying glass. As they discovered certain recordings, they thought, “This ought to be a movie” and so it has come to be.
“The historic importance of ‘Union Bound’ is that it is primary proof that Union soldiers were helped by slaves. It is not so much a ‘war movie’ as a story of the triumph of the human spirit,” Ennis said.
The movie was released April 22 and continues in select theaters across the country. Also, there is also a book “Union Bound” (historical novel based on his diaries) due out any day, which covers more of Hoover’s life prior to and after the story told in the movie.”
Pat and Bryan Ennis will describe their own 10-year odyssey with the Hoover story at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 11, at the West Tent at the 24th Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend with photo albums, posters, binders, etc. The public is encouraged to attend this special program.
The 24th Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend is an educational and fund-raising event for the Smithfield Community Association, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 11and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 12. Admission is $8 for adults, $3 for 6 to12 years and free for children under 6, and covers the encampment, the skirmishes, programs, exhibits, museums, demonstrations, walking tours and many other activities.
For more information call 280-8828 or visit PeterboroNY.org.
