John L. Ransom joined the Union Army in 1862, serving as brigade quartermaster of the Ninth Michigan Volunteer Cavalry. A year later, the 20-year-old soldier was captured in Tennessee and interned at the notorious Georgia prison camp, Andersonville. Ransom's harrowing firsthand account of Civil War prison life constitutes a valuable historical record - a true story not only of cruelty, death, and deprivations but also of acts of courage and kindness that ensured the young soldier's survival and preserved his faith in humanity.
"An altogether exciting and unique, almost priceless documentary."
Library Journal
"The Civil War produced many diaries, but few as appealing and readable as this one."
Publishers Weekly
"A tale of adventure, of suspense from beginning to end, of fierce hate and great love, of the incredible callousness of man and the incredible warmth of man - with the added knowledge that 'it really happened.'"
