Civil War Prisoners of War

The prisoners of war returning from Andersonville and other prisons not only suffered the numbing terror of horrendous battles but had to endure the grinding misery of starvation in the prison camps.  The sequel to Hiram's Honor, tentatively titled Hiram's Hope, examines how my ancestor Private Hiram Terman, coped after his return.  Based on his pension files, it is a novel about how again, as in battle, the help of his comrades lifts him from lonely isolation to a life of hope.

“As for myself, I never felt so utterly depressed, cursed, and God-forsaken in all my life before. All my former experiences in battles, on marches, and at my capture were not a drop in the bucket as compared with this.” —Walter E. Smith, Pvt., Co. K, 14th Illinois Infantry commenting on his time at Andersonville

Upon the Altar of the Nation by Harry Stout

Past and present views of the Wilderness Church on the Chancellorsville battleground.

I just finished reading Upon the Altar of the Nation by Harry Stout, a scholarly book that examines the morality of the Civil War and particularly the role of evangelical Christianity.  Since my story line in Hiram's Honor dealt with the differences between soldiers and their views of the Bible and God, I was looking for evidence that religion was a major factor in the lives of Civil War soldiers.  As Stout so adroitly presents, discussions of faith played not only a major role in the lives of individuals but also in the general prosecution of the war, on both sides.  I recommend this book to anyone wishing to more on this topic.

Hiram's Honor now available in Newton, Ks at the Faith and Life Bookstore

Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton, Ks

Civil War soldiers had their faith tested many times and Private Hiram Terman was no exception.  The long marches, camp life, horrific battles, and the grinding misery of prison life were challenges in the extreme and much of Hiram's Honor depicts this struggle to make sense of God, faith, and the realities of war.