The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1880-04-08
4 Concl,lied from FJurfh Puoel

from the Wilderness to the James
River--48 days of desperate fight
ing-as died in July and August
at Andersonville. Nearly twice as
many died in that prison as fell
from the day that Grant crossed
the Rapidan, till he settled down
into the trenches before Peters
burg. More than four times as
many Union dead lie under the
solemn, soughing pines about that
forlorn little village in Southern
Georgia than mark the course of
Sherman from Chattanooga to At
lanta. The Nation stands aghast at
the expenditure Of life which at
tended the two bloody campaigns
of 1864 which virtually crushed
the Confederacy, butno one remem-
bers that more Union soldiers died
in the rear of the rebel lines than
were killed in front of them. The
great military events that stamped
out the Rebellion drew attention
away from the sad drama which
Starvation and Disease played in
the gloomy pens in the far recesses
of somber Southern forests.
The author begins with an ac-
count of the raid made into the
enemy's country by the cavalry
command in which he was serving
as an enlisted man. They meet
the Rebel cavalry, and after a
sharp fight, worst it badly, sending
it flying from the field. For a
while the Union cavalry live off
the fatness of the land, but at
length they are trapped in a mar
row valley, and after a desperate
resistance, all are captured, and
sent to Richmond. Two months Of
hardship and exposure on Belle Isle,
and in the tobacco factories end by
their being sent to Andersonville-
the author arriving in the first
squad that enters the pen. Then
ensues six months Of terrible suf-
fering, in which four out of FIVE of
those around him die. This is
ended by tho fall of Atlanta, inn
mediately upon which the Rebels,
fearful of the safety of so great a
mass ofprisoners in such proximity
to the National lines as the fall of
that stronghold has brought about,
hurry the bulk of them off to
another and more remote places of
confinement.
The author is first taken to
Savannah; after short stay there,
to Millen; thence to Blackshear,
where he is paroled and sent back
to Savannah again, ostensibly to be
exchanged, but really to get him
and his companions safely past
Sherman's advancing lines and
take them to Florence, S. c., where
they are kept until the Confederacy
began going to pieces in March,
1864.
Into this warp and woof of daily
history are woven numberless bits
of fascinating description of thrill-
ing incidents, and even laughable
episodes-for there was fun, even
in that dreary experience. Among
the most thrilling recitals 10 be
found anywhere is that of the story
of the fights with and the capture
and execution of the "Raiders"
band of murderous desperados who
infested the prison, and six of
whom were hanged in terrorem. and
as punishment for their multifar-
ious offense. This is the only full
and accurate account of this noted
episode that has ever been written.
Many versions have been given of
this, but they have all been written
by men who were misinformed as
to the real facts in the case. The
author, being one of the very few
of those now living who were active
ly identified with the affair from
first to last, has exceptional knowl-
edge Of that of which he speaks.
Letters from more than 5000
surviving prisoners testify in the
strongest terms to wonderful ac-
curacy of the book. Such test
monial--unaeckt by single dis
sent from any living prisoners
one Of the marvels of current liter
ature. f
The press has been no less kind
to the book than the general pub
lie, and it has received the highest
eulogiums from political, religious
and literary papers, which unite in
saying that for vividness Of descrip-
ton, realism Of detail, and fascin-
alton Of style it has no equal in the
of the war.
The book contains 656 large,
handsomely printed pages, illus
trsted with 154 pictures drawn un-
der the authors supervision. Pub
lished at Toledo, O., by d. II.
Locke, and sold by subscription at
$500 per copy; the best selling
book for agents in the market.
Agents wanted for every Township
in the United States.