More Civil War misery and victory Ransom’s Andersonville Diary

  God knows why this story never wears out for me, this Civil War narrative. Just when I think I’m done with it, something else comes along. Now I’m in the middle of Shelby Foote’s massive (2400+ pages) The Civil War trilogy, and as a break read this little diary. At least I was given leave not to re-read the MacKinley Kantor novel of lo these many years ago. This is quite enough.

It’s as upbeat as an account of a man over a year in captivity under the harshest imaginable conditions, nearly starved to death, subjected to the cruelest sights and sounds available to the human eye and hear can be. Only th

at attitude–positive and perseverant–could account for his survival among so many thousands who perished.

John Ransom was a supply clerk, captured in Oct. of 1863, finally relieved of his suffering over a year later when he was able to escape and latch on to Sherman’s rampage through the south. You’ll learn a lot about his life, and if you keep your attention open, about how to cope with your own.

Just hope you never have to face the degree and kind of misery he did.