- John E. Norcross, Union Captain, 118th Pennsylvania Infantry – Verses and Translations, New York: The Knickerbocker Press, 1912. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good/No Jacket. First edition. Grayish-blue cloth. 72 pages. SIGNED by the author, with a brief dedication to Major J. Langdon Ward. Dated September 27, 1912 in Brooklyn, New York. A collection of poetry on patriotic and military themes, with a few referring to the Civil War, one dedicated to John Logan and several written for Decoration Days, also reflecting on soldiers and military service. Norcross saw action in the Civil War, both as a war correspondent for a newspaper and as a member of several Pennsylvania regiments, serving at Gettysburg and participating in the taking of Mobile. he resigned at the end of the war with a rank of brevet captain and resumed life as a newspaper reporter. It appears John Langdon Ward was a commissioned captain in the 50th Regiment Massachusetts Infantry (Louisiana State University Libraries Collection). VERY GOOD+ condition with light fading and rubbing to the covers. Interior solid. Minor soiling to a few pages. During the Civil War, John E. Norcross was conscripted into the service on 30 July 1863 as a private in Co. F, 118th Pennsylvania Infantry. He was discharged for a promotion to 2nd Lieutenant of Co. G, 25th USCT on 26 April 1864 and spent most of 1864 with the regiment at Redoubt Barrancas and Pickens in Florida, part of the time detached as ordnance officer. By February 1865 he had been detailed to the staff of Maj. Gen. Edward Canby in New Orleans and was then ordered to Maj. Gen. William F. Smith who was conducting a Special Commission investigating corruption in the Gulf Department. John was breveted a Captain prior to his resignation in June 1865.