RichardsLegacy
Civil War was Reid’s passion,
teaching it was his fulfillment

Educator Richard Reid put a lifetime of experiences into a subject he loved – the U.S. Civil War.

And, as a result, he was richly honored for it. He was named Kentucky’s Outstanding History Teacher of the Year in 1986 and many of the students he taught often remarked that he had “made history fun and interesting for me.”

Dr. Reid, who taught history at Bremen High School and at Owensboro Community College, researched and wrote 13 Civil War books that he used as supplementary texts in his classes. Along with his wife, Celia Lynn, he visited many battlefields, libraries, national and state archives and courthouses. He also read diaries and official records of the Civil War and utilized his 22 years of military experience to analyze battle tactics and strategies and study the evolution of weaponry. In addition, he sought out battlefield directors and local historians.

“I remember Richard’s floor map on the Battle of Gettysburg,” Lynn recalled as she talked about her late husband. “He had gone to Gettysburg and was there for three days in order to write this particular lesson plan. It was very detailed and elaborate for a high school course, but that’s the way he did things. He poured his all into teaching.”

Reid, who died in 2002, became interested in the Civil War through the role of his great grandfather, Pvt. Simpson B. Myers, who served with the Fourth Indiana Cavalry.  That resulted in a book, The Fourth Indiana Cavalry Regiment: A History, that was years in the making due to the tremendous research involved.

“This book fanned the flames of my husband’s love for this particular period of history,” Lynn said. “To the best of my knowledge, Richard never taught a separate class about the Civil War, but he spent ample time on the subject when it rolled around in the course of study.”

Reid’s books were self-published, Lynn said, as the author “wanted to keep the price affordable for his readers."

“He filled orders continually,” she added, “but his books were also available at sites such as Barnes and Noble, Amazon and Books A Million. Of course, many of the national battlefield bookstores carried the books, as did independent book dealers and sutlers. His Perryville book, They Met at Perryville, was adopted as a textbook at Fort Knox by some of the instructors there.”

As a history teacher, Reid was concerned that many young people failed to recognize the importance of the past in relation to today’s world and the future.

“I think he was determined to make an impact upon those ‘stragglers’ during the brief window of time that he was privileged to instruct them – whether they liked it or not,” Lynn continued. “The testimony I’ve heard down through the years (“he made history fun and interesting for me”) really is a mark of his success. Lots of those people had stated that it had never been that way for them before. And that was very gratifying for Richard.

“I asked one of his students to speak at his funeral and I must say, it was wonderful. Kaye talked about how my husband had changed her life and what a tremendous blessing he had been to her family.”

Reid, a native of Bloomington, Ind., entered the Navy in 1945 and served in Guam for the duration of World War II. He later entered the National Guard and was on active duty with the Army just prior to the Korean War.

He retired with the rank of captain in 1968 after a tour in Vietnam as an advisor. He began teaching history at Bremen High School in 1971 and completed his college education in 1977, graduating from Indiana University with a doctorate in education. Reid then began writing several small books on Kentucky Civil War battles, the first of which was The Battle of Perryville in 1987. He retired from secondary education in 1993, but continued teaching off campus for Owensboro Community College until his death.

The teacher/professor received his outstanding history teacher award from the Louisville Scottish Rite.

Since Richard’s death, Lynn has continued to provide her husband’s books to interested parties. That effort now has grown into a full-fledged publishing company – RichardsLegacy Publishing.

“It’s our desire to revive Richard’s dream of a thriving book business and make those titles available, once again, to the public at very affordable prices,” she said.

The books may be purchased by contacting Lynn at RichardsLegacy Publishing, P.O. Box 21235, Owensboro, Ky. 42304. Further information is available by calling 270-314-7203 or 270-925-4929 or via e-mail at RichardsLegacy12@aol.com. Also, a website – www.RichardsLegacy.org – is under construction.

RichardsLegacy Publishing

The following books now are available through RichardsLegacy Publishing and more titles are coming soon. Prices are listed with titles. Shipping/handling and applicable sales tax are not included.

They Met at Perryville ... $5.95
A detailed account of the Kentucky battle.

Morgan’s Comin’ Agin ... 7.95
A detailed account of Confederate John Hunt Morgan
and his raids across Kentucky and into Indiana and Ohio.

4th Indiana Cavalry Regiment: A History ... 10.95
History of the regiment through its organization to the
time it was mustered out following the Civil War.

The Battle of Tippecanoe ... 5.95
Future President William Henry Harrison on his quest
to stifle an emerging threat in the Indiana territory
leading up to the War of 1812.

RichardsLegacy Publishing
P.O. Box 21235
Owensboro, Ky. 42304
Phone: 270-314-7203 or 270-925-4929
E-Mail: RichardsLegacy12@aol.com
Website: www.RichardsLegacy.org
(under construction)