A Perfect Picture of Hell: Eyewitness Accounts by Civil War Prisoners from the 12th Iowa [Paperback]

Ted Genoways (Editor), Hugh H Genoways (Editor), Hugh H. Genoways (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2001

From the shooting of an unarmed prisoner at Montgomery, Alabama, to a successful escape from Belle Isle, from the swelling floodwaters overtaking Cahaba Prison to the inferno that finally engulfed Andersonville, A Perfect Picture of Hell is a collection of harrowing narratives by soldiers from the 12th Iowa Infantry who survived imprisonment in the South during the Civil War.

Editors Ted Genoways and Hugh Genoways have collected the soldiers' startling accounts from diaries, letters, speeches, newspaper articles, and remembrances. Arranged chronologically, the eyewitness descriptions of the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Jackson, and Tupelo, together with accompanying accounts of nearly every famous Confederate prison, create a shared vision

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Editors Ted and Hugh Genoways have brought together the stories of roughly twenty men—captured variously at Shiloh, Corinth, Jackson, and Tupelo—into a moving and informative collection…While the stories of the prisoners in A Perfect Picture of Hell speak eloquently for themselves, they are enhanced by the editors' prologue and other introductory materials, which set both the experiences of the regiment as a whole and the individual authors in context. This anthology, though of obvious value to those interested in the 12th Iowa, is much more than a regimental history. These men's prison experiences speak for those of thousands of other soldiers who served and suffered. As such, this book is a valuable contribution to the literature on Confederate prisons as a whole.”—The Journal of Southern History

“ … an unfailingly fascinating account of the deprivation, maltreatment, and brutality that characterized life in southern prison camps. Insightful and at times heart-wrenching A Perfect Picture of Hell will appeal to anyone with an interest in this aspect of the Civil War.”—Ethan S. Rafuse, Civil War Book Review

About the Author

An acquisitions editor at the Minnesota Historical Society Press, Ted Genoways is the founder and former editor of the literary journal Meridian and the editor or author of several books, including the forthcoming In the Trenches: Soldier-Poets of the First World War. Hugh Genoways serves as chair and professor of the Museum Studies Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Product Details

• Paperback: 338 pages
• Publisher: University Of Iowa Press; 1 edition (May 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087745759X
• ISBN-13: 978-0877457596
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,267,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eywitness Accounts!, September 12, 2001

By 

Scott Anderson "Sharpsburg" (Shepherdstown, WV) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Perfect Picture of Hell: Eyewitness Accounts by Civil War Prisoners from the 12th Iowa (Paperback)

The diaries, letters and speeches along with black and white photos truly complete this work and give insight into the "hell" that the men of the 12th Iowa went through.

Each account goes to the heart of the reader when it comes to looking into the past lives and accounts of these men. A must read for Civil War enthusiasts as well as arm chair historians.