War Prison Diary

The diary kept by Michael Dougherty, a Union private in the American Civil War, while imprisoned in various Confederate prison camps. Dougherty kept his secret diary for 23 months noting his experiences while moving from prison camp to prison camp. He was the sole survivor of the 127 Union soldiers taken prisoner with him, with nearly all of them perishing in the notorious Andersonville, Georgia prison. Dougherty's descriptions of the conditions at Andersonville are disturbing and heart-rending. - Summary by Barry Eads