John Ransom's Andersonville Diary

Book Description

John Ransom, Brigade Quartermaster of the Ninth Michigan Calvary, was only 20 years old when he became a prisoner of war in eastern Tennessee in 1863. He had everything to live for, and much to live with.

A war was on, and he was in it, and things were happening that seemed worth putting down from day to day. The result is a straightforward diary, free of the embroideries and purple passages of many an author of the time.

"One of the best first-hand accounts to come down to us from the Civil War, uncommonly rich in the love of life...a tale of adventure, of suspense, of fierce hate and great love. " --Bruce Catton

Customer Reviews:

A true diary.......2007-07-14

When I was encouraged to read this book I saw it as a bore. However, upon embarking on this read, I could hardly put it down. I was intrigued on a major level. I've been to the old prison site three times and this book really sets you up to visualize the prison the way it was. The prison is all sad, however I was very disturbed by the way the north treated the fellow who was in charge of the prison during it prime. This was unmitigated revenge and spite.

A positive spirit, despite the horror.......2005-08-03

Ransom was a member of the Ninth Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War when, in Nov. 1963, he was captured in eastern Tennessee; he spent the next year a prisoner in a number of Southern prison camps, most notably Andersonville. He was finally able to escape and make his way back to Union lines. What distinguishes this book is Ransom's humor in the face of such adversity: "July 26 - Ain't dead yet. Actually laugh at the Rebel who thought if I wasn't dead I had better get inside. Had an onion." He writes of the hardships, mainly hunger and disease, but also makes it clear that the prisoners, because of poor self-discipline and low morals (stealing from one another was rampant) made their bad lot even worse. Prisoner exchanges, once frequent early in the war, were just about suspended by this time, thanks to U.S. Grant's belief that they helped the South more than the North. At one point Ransom writes that about 130 prisoners a day were dying in camp, mostly from disease. An interesting book, lively and always in celebration of the living, at least in spirit.

Civil War atrocity.......2004-03-23

When one considers that John Ransom, at the time of his interment at Andersonville, was not a professional writer, and that much of his recounting of his horrible experiences was censored, this diary is compelling, gritty, gruesome, and all too credible. This unblinking look at a part of Civil War history that is often overlooked, captured my attention as few diaries have. (The diary of Anne Frank, of course, being the most engaging and heart-rending of the genre.)

The stories of mistreatment of the Union soldiers abound--by other Union soldiers as well as the Confederates! But no scourge was more frightful than the natural ones: the weather, insects, and contaminants were just as unfeeling and effective in their decimation of the prison population. This is not a diary for the weak-hearted. The constant tales of humiliation, hunger, and brutality, along with the growing list of Ransom's associates who were dying all around him, are incessant. Just when things get to their grimmest, the reader is treated to the suspense of Ransom's breakout and escape, which you have to read to believe. Whether you are a devotee of Civil War stories or not, John Ransom's "Andersonville Diary/Life Inside the Civil War's Most Infamous Prison" is a fabulous story of toughing it out in the worst of situations, and a thorough examination of one of the Civil War's darkest times and places.

Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points.

Excellent diary, ABOMINABLE edition! Stay away!.......2003-09-08

John Ransom's own words could not be more moving, nor his character more sterling. Five stars for his work! However, ZERO stars for the publisher here. The "intro" by Bruce Catton is not even three full pages long, and lacks...well, nearly everything an intro should have.

There are no maps. There are few illustrations, apparently only reproductions of those included in Ransom's own publication after the war. There are no footnotes nor timeline. There is no index of names (genealogists beware!!!) nor of anything else, and there was no attempt to provide us with more detail on the individuals named other than Ransom's own contemporary concluding notes. There is nothing to tell us if Ransom ever returned to the South to "make millionaires" of the black slaves who helped him, as he had hoped. There is no death and discharge roll even for his own company, much less a larger view. There is no concluding note to reflect that Andersonville has become a national park, nor a word re its current state of preservation.

Shame, shame, shame on Catton and Berkley Books. Ransom's heroic work deserves much better, as does the memory of the tens of thousands of men (and at least two women, see the entry for December 23, 1863) who suffered and, in horrifying numbers, died at Andersonville. When a worthy edition comes out, buy it -- I surely will. Meanwhile, don't spend your money on this inferior edition of a great Civil War memoir.

WOW.......2003-02-12

This book was one of the first books I read about the Civil War. I could not put the thing down! It is not only a true story about the Andersonville Prison, but also a heck of a story showing courage and will! I recommend this book HEAVILY! A MUST READ

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Andersonville Diary
John L. Ransom
Manufacturer: Haskell House Pub Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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The Andersonville Diary

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000I8TG72

Product Description

7 Hours 26 Minutes on 6 CDs. John Ransom was a young Union soldier when he was captured by Confederate forces and taken to Andersonville, the worst of the brutal Civil War prison camps. Insightful, adventurous, and powerful, his diary preserves a rare portrait of the harsh life of the Confederate prisons. Yet it also sings with the hope of a man who loves life and manages to keep his sense of humor and compassion even as he suffers.

Andersonville Diary - Escape - With List of the Dead

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Andersonville Diary - Escape - With List of the Dead
John L. Ransom
Manufacturer: Digital Scanning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Reprint of 1881 Edition by John Ransom 1st Sergeant 9th Michigan Calvalry. Diary of being a prisoner in the infamous Civil War POW Camp. Contains list of the dead. Name,Co. Regiment, Date of Death and Number of Grave in Cemetary.

The Andersonville Diary(unabridged Audio Cass)

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The Andersonville Diary(unabridged Audio Cass)
J. RANSOM
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 1556900171

Product Description

Andersonville Diary (88090) MARC Record Unabridged Cassette (Product Type Info) 7.50 Hours/5 Cassettes Written By: John L. Ransom Narrated By: Adrian Cronauer Genre(s): History , Memoir , Nonfiction ISBN: 1-55690-017-1 John Ransom was a young Union soldier when he was captured by Confederate forces and taken to Andersonville, the worst of the brutal Civil War prison camps. Insightful, adventurous, and powerful, his diary preserves a rare portrait of the harsh life of the Confederate prisons. Yet it also sings with the hope of a man who loves life and manages to keep his sense of humor and compassion even as he suffers.

Andersonville diary,: Escape, and list of dead, with name, co., regiment, date of death and no. of grave in cemetery

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Andersonville diary,: Escape, and list of dead, with name, co., regiment, date of death and no. of grave in cemetery
John L Ransom
Manufacturer: Author
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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John Ransom's diary
John L Ransom
Manufacturer: P.S. Eriksson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007DMW38

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John Ransom's diary
John L Ransom
Manufacturer: Dell Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007F1C7I

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John Ransom's Diary Andersonville
John Ransom , and David Thorn
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: MP3 CD

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ASIN: 078618373X

John Ransom's Diary: Andersonville (Unabridged)

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John Ransom's Diary: Andersonville (Unabridged)
John Ransom
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B0006JM0SA

Book Description

“We were sure that we would win, that we should score the first great triumph in a mighty world-movement.”— Theodore Roosevelt, 1904

Americans like to think they have no imperial past. In fact, the United States became an imperial nation within five short years a century ago (1898-1903), exploding onto the international scene with the conquest of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, and (indirectly) Panama. How did the nation become a player in world politics so suddenly—and what inspired the move toward imperialism in the first place?

The renowned diplomat and writer Warren Zimmermann seeks answers in the lives and relationships of five remarkable figures: the hyper-energetic Theodore Roosevelt, the ascetic naval strategist Alfred T. Mahan, the bigoted and wily Henry Cabot Lodge, the self-doubting moderate Secretary of State John Hay, and the hard-edged corporate lawyer turned colonial administrator Elihu Root. Faced with difficult choices, these extraordinary men, all close friends, instituted new political and diplomatic policies with intermittent audacity, arrogance, generosity, paternalism, and vision.

Zimmermann's discerning account of these five men also examines the ways they exploited the readiness of the American people to support a surge of expansion overseas. He makes it clear why no discussion of America's international responsibilities today can be complete without understanding how the United States claimed its global powers a century ago.

Customer Reviews:

History taught through biography.......2007-01-17

Warren Zimmerman uses short but trenchant bios of five important American decision makers and opinion leaders to tell a story about the beginnings of the American empire.

John Hay, Navy Capt. Alfred T. Mahan, Elihu Root, Henry Cabot Lodge and Theodore Roosevelt are the principal actors. These men provided the intellectual atmosphere and the institutional framework that enabled the United States to step away from her traditional isolationism, recognize her place in the world as a power of the first rank, and take up that role. In order for that to happen the American people first had to understand the dangers that expansionist European powers presented to their nation. Zimmerman weaves the various strands that these five men bring to this story as well as the reluctantance of President McKinley and the objections of actors like Mark Twain and former senator and newspaper editor Carl Shurz, into an exciting and thoughtful work. The book is worth the price for the bios of the principals alone but it is the story of this interaction, as skillfully told by Zimmerman, that makes this book so interesting and such a quick read.

For those who believe that America is not an imperial power (though not quite cut in the mold of European imperialism) this book will provide much to think about. For those interested in knowing how we became a world power in such a short time, this book is invaluable.

The author is a former foreign-service officer who obviously has experienced the mixed blessings of the nation's global responsibilities.

Must read book about our history.......2006-12-14

If you want to know how the United States became a great power this is the book to read. The United States quest for empire and manifest destiny can be summed up by the five men covered in this book: TR, Elihu Root, John Hay, Alfred Mahan and Henry Cabot Lodge. The book focuses on conquest in the Philippines, Cuba and Mexico as well as the importance of the Panama Canal. It is a very interesting read that offers a lot about the course of US Empire. Imperialism and Americanism can be seen as one in the same during this time period and these five people acting together set America on a course to become not only a great power but eventually a super power. A must have for anyone interested in America's imperial past.

"Always five, acting as one.".......2005-10-08

Empire building is not necessarily a bad thing. As such the First Great Triumph tries to force the reader to understand our nations obsession with empire and empire

building. The book starts off by telling us about the west. Our nation was growing and the American people were driven to move across the country to carve out homes

and states west of the Mississippi. Once our nation grew from sea to shining sea the energies behind empire building became global. We could no longer focus our

energies on the continent of North America, so we had to look outward. This incredible drive to expand, and the passions behind it, became a central part of the American

spirit.

But in order to bring our manifest destiny to the global scale we had to become a force that would be strong enough to hold on to our gains. As such we needed to

become a first rate power. One who could compete among the nations of old for dominancy in this brave new world.In order to gain such power we needed leadership to

guide us. Theirfore the First Great Triumph is not only about empire building but about the figures who helped bring our nation into this new found power. The author

concentrates on five powerful Americans. They are ; Theodore Roosevelt, Alfred T. Mahan, Henry Cabot Lodge, John Hay, and Elihu Root. All of which , our author feels,

were instrumental in guiding our nation onto the world scene. The belief the author has is that without these five, our nation would not have risen to our present status of

a world power. Let us examine why.

The top of the pyramid was Theodore Roosevelt. It was his leadership that made our nation's stature as a world power possible. An influential man both as a states

man and president. It was he who had the vision to build up America's naval power and turn it loose upon the world. The great white fleet was assembled and sent out

under his guidence. The showing of such a fleet of ships was enough to prove to the world that we had become a first rate power. Under Theodore's leadership we gained

influence in both Latin America and the Pacific. This was due to Theodore's timely usage of naval power. Theodore had also assembled a cast of first rate leaders around

him and was able to use them to the best of his abilities. Theodore was able to delegate his many tasks among the two others to help establish American hegemony.

Root was given the task of setting up the government of our conqured territories while Hay was given the task of handling our nations diplomacy with the other forgein

powers. Both performed admirably and were able to give Theodore a stable base from which he could direct his energies upon the world.

John Hay was the statesman from which all diplomacy flowed. He was pro-europe but also an American. As such his unique perspective allowed him to see problems

and solutions from both sides. As such he was an excellent diplomat and arbitrator. Theodore would view him weak, but in reality Hay's greatest strength was his ability

to have patience. His skills with diplomacy , when used, would help smooth out problems the U.S. was having and as a direct result Hay would win wars with words

instead of bullets.

But diplomacy and leadership are not the only tools one needs to run a country. You need beauraucrcy, that day to day grind that makes politics and government

possible. For that we had Elihu Root. Root was instrumental in creating new ways of governing our new acquisitions. They were not perfect but they showed us what

could work, and what could not work. As such Root would be able to show our government how to administer conquered territories. Root's ability to do this paved the way

for our country's dealings with later nations and later wars.

While Theodore's trio was able to expand the power of the executive branch, Lodge was able to channel the energies of the legislative branch to greatness. Lodge was

not only an incredible intelectual but he was a man of vision. He dreamed of an imperial American, one that could rival Brittain in both power and strength. As such Lodge

dedicated his abilities into keeping the pressure up on the legislative branch. His dedication to empire building left a stamp on congress and Lodge's actions helped sway

several presidents towards the battle for empire. His observations of the dying world regime helped stir the American public into understanding their new role in the world.

Spain was dying and Brittain was winding down. As such the American star was rising and a key to world dominance would be by gaining American soverignty over the

area in the Pacific.

All of these thoughts for empire stem from Alfred T. Mahan. It was his writtings on seaman ship and Naval power that got this entire ball rolling. In order for a nation to

be great you had to be able to control the Oceans. Mahan had based his writtings on history and how the ancients giants, throught time, all had control of the seas

(Oceans). He argued that the United States would always be considered a second rate power as long as their Navy was second rate. To build up the NAvy not only meant

new ships. It also meant the training of a profesional class of sailors, new technologies, and refueling ports / way stations for the ships to be based at. Only by combining

these three points would the U.S. gain dominancy in the world's seas and as a direct result gain dominancy on the world.

But in order to understand history we sometimes have to look at how the author presents his material. What I found at in this book was that it is not an enjoyable read.

The author has fallen in love with the big five and treats them like lovers. Their faults are glossed over and their actions are heightened to god like epics. As such you

agree with the author. After all the author believes that these five mortal men changed the face of America. By their labors, and their labors alone, they turned our country

into a first rate power. But the author is biased. It is his thesis after all that these men made America, so he will do anything and everything to back it up. Now the author

never lies about the five, but he does seam to make them heroic. Never the devil, these five are always building our country up and never bringing it back down. They are

the "Music Makers" after all and to attack any one of these idols would be an assault to the author. One he could not stand.

The author wants you to feel sympathy for the five as both men and Gods. As such he imerses you into their past. Hopeing to gain your sympathy and trust the author

instead disgusts and bores you. After all the book will speak of the historic events these men made, yet instead of completing the story, our author has decided to fill you

in on the history of the "music Makers" while in the midst of the story. Instead of breaking down the history of the characters in an orderly fashion, you instead are given

snippets of the character's personality. Once the personality is constructed you are then given the history of the person. But this history is given piece meal and while the

author is narrating a story. As such the reader can become confused and bored while learning about these heros. It is also obvious that the book was written for an

audience already familiar with the five. As such amusing incidents are placed , like Easter eggs, throught the entire book. Instead of amusing, I found them unapropriate.

The detracted from the content of the book since I was out of the loop and unable to figure out the joke.

The book is also a racist book. This is not to say it is a bad thing but the book has been written with the gloves off. Theirfore it is shocking to read about. Now I did

enjoy the honesty the author wrote about. After all it is rare now adays to read a piece of work that has not been cleansed by the censors. The author's dealings about

empire building stir strong emotions in people. His objective look at how race influenced empire building was refreshing. All to often we stay mute on race. It is a tender

subject. But you can not deny how the concept of race has shaped our nation. Learning that our nation of the past felt so strongly about white America helped shed light

on these topics. The conflict of civil rights has always been a sore spot in our nations history. Now, at last, you can understand some of the pettiness and even some of

the injustices. To know that our nation had dificulty dealing with our black population is one thing. But to finally learn that our nation thought all races but the white man's

were beneath his was fascinating. And these ideas were ones our nation was building it's empire on. Even with all the bias and hero worship in this book I still feel that it

is a must read. Simply for the way the book reaches you about race relations and how the White man viewed his world back then.

The First Great Triumph not only teaches you about the founding of modern day America and the people who helped create it but it also teaches you the reader about

his own personal history with the United States. As such a bridge is formed between past and present and we can learn about our American heritage in all its being. That

being both monstrous and glorious.

Americanism. Imperalism. Manifest Destiny - 5 Americans.......2004-07-25

What do the above have in common? The answer is provided quite nicely in Warren Zimmerman's book "First Great Triumph". In it, he explains what 5 great Americans - John Hay, Alfred Thayer Mahan, Theodore Roosevelt, Hencry Cabot Lodge, and Elihu Root had to do with the forming of the American century (the 20th Century).

Each of these men played his own role in creating Imperialistic America, starting in the late 19th century, and their contributions to American foreign policy continue through to this day.

This is an important book for anyone that wants to understand the personalities of these five men and the actions that each took to make America the dominant player in world affairs that it has been during the last 100+ years.

The book is divided into two sections; biographical sketches of each of these five men, and then a section on how America became an Imperalistic power, similar to Great Britain or any of a number of the European countries in earlier centuries. Starting with the Spanish American war, the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands, and pushing through to American intervention in World War I, this book does a fantastic job of explaining the events that occured and the personalities involved.

I now understand why Zimmerman chose these five men to study in this book - when I first started to read it, I thought that perhaps others, such as William McKinley or William H. Seward should have been included in the biography section, but Seward's contributions were too early to be included in this study, and McKinley was too reserved to be included in a group of men that firmly believed in American expansion, much as earlier Americans had proclaimed "Mainfest Destiny".

I enjoyed the book greatly, and would highly recommend it to anyone that is looking for a study of early American foreign policy, or an understanding of why America played such a big role in world events during the 20th century.

America's First Empire.......2004-06-24

This book by a former U.S. Ambassador is an elegantly-written history of the Spanish-American War of 1898, when the United States acquired colonies in the Caribbean and the Pacific and emerged as a major world power. The nuanced, balanced narrative deals with "big picture" geopolitics and historical trends but never loses sight of the human factor or the role that ego and personal ambition played in America's rise to power. Zimmerman doesn't flinch from concluding that American troops committed atrocities in the Philippines or that our acquisition of Hawaii and the Panama canal zone was little more than theft. At the same time, he avoids ahistorical condemnations of turn-of-the-century imperialism. His book will leave leftwing revisionists and flag-waving rightists equally disappointed -- surely a sign of scholarly achievement.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Ethics & International Affairs, published by Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs on April 1, 2003. The length of the article is 956 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: First Great Triumph: How Five Americans Made Their Country a World Power.(Book Review)
Author: R.A. Hamilton
Publication: Ethics & International Affairs (Refereed)
Date: April 1, 2003
Publisher: Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs
Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Page: 181(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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First Great Triumph: How Five Americans Made Their Country a World Power

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First Great Triumph: How Five Americans Made Their Country a World Power
Warren Zimmermann
Manufacturer: Farrar Straus & Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JNE0N6

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First Great Triumph; How Five Americans Made Their Country a World Power
Warren Zimmermann
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OWOJ38

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