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Edward Chatfield fortunately left to posterity several diaries and over 100 letters relating to his service from 1862 to 1865 as a private in the 113th Illinois Infantry. He was in the Vicksburg Campaign and helped guard the Corinth-Memphis sector before being captured following the disastrous Battle of Brice's Crossroads (June 1864). He managed to survive the hell-holes of Andersonville, Millen and Florence before being exchanged and returning home. He later became a rancher in Colorado. With extensive research and thoughtful commentary, Peg McCarty, one of Edward's descendants, and her husband Terry have done a wonderful job in presenting Edward's story in proper context in a beautifully produced and well-illustrated book. Where there are gaps in the record, they utilized valuable sources, such as the unpublished memoir of one of Edward's friends who was with him throughout their captivity. Highly recommended for adding to the understanding of the experiences and viewpoints of Union soldiers in the Western Theater and as a tribute to the men in blue who suffered so much because of the incompetent leadership at Brice's Crossroads.
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