Trama e riassunto di Andersonville: storia delle prigioni militari ribelli

A chi è rivolto

This book is for readers who love eyewitness history, Civil War stories told by those who lived them, and plain, vivid accounts of courage, friendship, and survival.

Che cos’è questo libro

What would you do if a morning bugle gave way to a Rebel yell and a crashing volley from the woods? That is how John McElroy, a private in Company L of the Sixteenth Illinois Cavalry, begins the ordeal he tells in Andersonville. In January 1864 his battalion is trapped at Jonesville, Virginia, and forced to surrender after a day of fighting. Fifteen months in Confederate hands follow.

McElroy wrote the book in 1879, after newspaper sketches grew into a full account. He says it is one boy's story, and he vouches for every material fact. His purpose is to make the country remember the men who died in prison pens. You follow him from Cumberland Gap to Richmond, Andersonville, Savannah, Millen, and Florence, and at last to the Union lines.

Questions about Andersonville: storia delle prigioni militari ribelli

What is Andersonville by John McElroy about?

It is a first-hand account of a Union cavalryman's capture in Virginia in 1864 and his fifteen months in Confederate prisons, including Richmond, Andersonville, Savannah, Millen, and Florence, until his release near Wilmington in 1865.

Is Andersonville by John McElroy a true story?

Yes. McElroy was a real soldier of the Sixteenth Illinois Cavalry who lived through the events. He wrote in 1879 and says every material fact is true, adding that thousands of fellow survivors wrote to endorse his account.

Who were the Raiders and Regulators at Andersonville?

Raiders were gangs of New York toughs who robbed fellow prisoners. Regulators were a group led by Sergeant Leroy Key from McElroy's battalion, who arrested the Raiders, tried them before a court of sergeants, and carried out sentences.

Who was Captain Wirz and why is he in the book?

Henri Wirz was the Confederate officer who commanded inside the Andersonville stockade. McElroy paints him as petty and cruel, and recounts his trial and hanging before closing with an examination of responsibility for the prisoners' suffering.

Is Andersonville easy to follow?

Yes, in that McElroy writes in a lively, direct voice, with short scenes, humor, and clear chapter headings. He names real people, explains places and terms as he goes, and keeps the narrative moving from capture to release.