A Boy's Experience in the Civil War, 1860-1865

A young narrator recounts family and personal experiences during the Civil War, tracing his father's political advocacy, incarceration as a political prisoner, and a negotiated exchange that permitted the family to travel south under a flag of truce. The narrative follows their passage through border cities and military checkpoints, descriptions of crowded streets, inspected baggage, and encounters with wounded exchanged prisoners who lacked adequate medical care. It records camp life and picket duty, moments of improvised entertainment aboard truce boats, a moving Sunday-night religious meeting among soldiers, and civilian interactions in Richmond, offering close-up impressions of military procedures, suspicion at checkpoints, and everyday life amid wartime conditions.