Life in Southern Prisons / From the Diary of Corporal Charles Smedley, of Company G, 90th Regiment Penn'a Volunteers, Commencing a Few Days Before the "Battle of the Wilderness", In Which He Was Taken Prisoner ... Also, a Short Description of the March to and Battle of Gettysburg, Together with a Biographical Sketch of the Author

The diary records the daily experiences of a corporal serving in a Pennsylvania volunteer regiment during the Civil War, beginning shortly before the Battle of the Wilderness and continuing through his capture and imprisonment at Andersonville. Entries offer plain, direct accounts of marches, a brief description of the movement to and fighting at Gettysburg, the hardships of camp and prison life, disease and inadequate rations, and the care and deaths of fellow prisoners. A biographical sketch of the author frames the personal narrative. The work presents first-person observations aimed at conveying the practical realities and human cost of soldiering and captivity.