James Riley Weavers Civil War: The Diary Of A Union Cavalry Officer And Prisoner Of War, 1863-1865 (Civil War Soldiers And Strategies)

Features of James Riley Weavers Civil War: The Diary of a Union Cavalry Officer and Prisoner of War, 1863-1865 (Civil War Soldiers and Strategies)

666 days of diary entries documenting the life of a Union officer held in Confederate prisonsCaptured on October 11 1863 James Riley Weaver a Union cavalry officer spent nearly seventeen months in Confederate prisons Remarkably Weaver kept a diary that documents 666 consecutive days of his experience including not only his life in a series of prisons throughout the South but his precaptivity cavalry duties and his eventual return to civilian life It is an unparalleled eyewitness account of a crucial part of our historyWeavers observations never veer into romanticized descriptions instead he describes the little world inside each prison and outdoor camp describing men drawn from every class of society high and low rich and poor from every country and clime In addition Weaver records details about life in the Confederacy that he gleans from visitors guards new arrivals recaptured escapees Southern newspapers and even glimpses through windowsAs the editors demonstrate Weavers diarykeeping provided an outlet for expressing suppressed emotions ruminating on a seemingly endless confinement that tested his patriotism religious faith and will to survive In the process he provides not only historically important information but also keen insights into the human condition under adversity