Description: "This is an annotated edition of the diary of Union cavalry officer James Riley Weaver. Weaver wrote every day from June 1, 1863, to April 1, 1865, creating an unbroken 666-day record of his military engagements in the Union cavalry, almost seventeen months in seven Confederate officers' prisons, and return to civilian life. The depth of detail, clear prose, emotional restraint, and dissection of human nature under duress provide an unparalleled eyewitness account of one man's Civil War. Weaver avoids the sectional rancor that colors most published Union prisoner narratives and traces the changing nature of cavalry warfare and prison life over an extended period of time. His entries are honest, analytical, and even-handed in their assessments and connect soldiering, imprisonment, and personal experiences and their meaning with external events beyond his immediate purview"--
Review Quotes: "A fascinating first-hand account of pure hell. . . moving, informative, detailed, and vivid."--Civil War News