*8-page b/w photo section
* 6 x 9
* Gives a new perspective of the battle of Chickamauga
* Includes account of the little-known Nickojack Massacre
In 1862 John M. King joined the 92nd Illinois Mounted Infantry. During his service for the Union he traveled 15,000 miles and participated in 33 engagements. A newspaper owner and editor, he naturally recorded his experiences using an inquisitive, often wry style. Throughout he registered the comic along with the tragic: his drunken commanders, the infighting among his comrades, and the often unjust disparities between officers and soldiers. This uncommonly literate diary, meticulously edited, is a hidden gem that will appeal to anyone who has ever taken an interest in the Civil War.
Claire Swedberg, a newspaper journalist, is also the author of Work Commando 311/I: American Paratroopers Become Forced Laborers for the Nazis and In Enemy Hands: Personal Accounts of Those Taken Prisoner in World War II.