Andersonville Diary

It's difficult to critique someone's diary -- especially when that someone survived the hell-hole that was the Andersonville POW camp during the Civil War.

I think for most anyone who is at all familiar with the Civil War, the name Andersonville brings to mind the most horrific of conditions, thousands dead, survivors who came out looking like skeletons. John Ransom's diary recounts the day-to-day events of a union soldier taken POW and eventually sent to that most infamous of Confederate prison camps. It is sometimes repetitious because life was repetitious -- day after day, scrounging for food, fighting off the "raiders" -- fellow prisoners who were as brutal as their captors -- dealing with the grossest of unsanitary conditions, show more starvation, disease, cruelty, death. (So many dead!)

I must say that I can hardly believe Ransom survived it all, and I get the feeling he's surprised, too. I'm impressed that he had the tenacity to keep up the writing through all his trials -- trading food for pencils and notebooks to write, entrusting filled notebooks to fellow prisoners when he was too incapacitated to carry them all. Ransom had a great eye and ear for detail, and somehow managed to maintain some semblance of humor through much, if not most, of the horror he endured. His diary is a fascinating account of survival with honor. Recommended. show less

The Civil War’s most infamous Confederate prison, Camp Sumter, better known as Andersonville, is the central venue in John Ransom’s diary of his 14 months as a P.O.W. in the Confederate prison system. After spending some time at Belle Isle prison in Virginia was sent to Andersonville in Georgia. There he finds a lack of food, privation, and a brutal administration resulting in the death of about half the prisoners at the camp, tens to scores daily. Among the lethal threats are the “dead lines” separating prisoners from the only source of fresh water in the camp. Crossing means death by rifle shot. Infamous Capt. Henry Wirz is not as near a threat as groups of marauders among the Yankee prisoners. Mosby’s Marauders were the show more worst. Ransom escapes twice, both times when being transferred to another camp. He escapes when being transferred to a prison south of Andersonville (to escape Sherman in his march through Georgia), only to be recaptured after 6 days of freedom. During that time, he finds help from the slaves he encounters, while he has a demeaning opening of the enslaved Africans. Sherman’s March to the Sea campaign results in his being shipped from Andersonville (to prevent the prisoners being freed by Union forces) and transferred again later. That advance also makes it possible for Ransom and the Buck boys, his two companions, to finally reach Union lines and freedom.

Union leadership ceased the policy of prisoner exchanges figuring that the exchanges were helping the Confederacy. Rumors of such exchanges are reported several times by Ransom, a Michigander by birth like me. show less

Generally I like to share my own particular thoughts on a work. However, the previous reviewer (in my opinion) has presented an outstanding, and accurate, summation of this work. Highly recommended for its compelling historical content and user friendly writing style.

I read this in high school after I found out one of my ancestors was a prisoner of war in Andersonville during the Civil War. Terrible place, terrible conditions. Glad he made it out alive or I wouldn't be typing this up right now.