Michael Dougherty was a Union soldier who, along with 126 other men from his regiment, was captured by the Confederate Army and incarcerated in a series of Confederate prisoner of war facilities. From Libby Prison and Belle Isle in Richmond, Virginia to the infamous Andersonville death camp, Dougherty's diary entries paint a fascinating portrait of the physical and emotional indignities faced by prisoners of war during the American Civil War. Dougherty was the sole survivor of the 127 men from his regiment that were captured at the same time. Of the 126 who died, 122 succumbed while at Andersonville, Georgia. Although the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse eventually brought about his release from Andersonville, fate held one final, cruel trick in store. A tale of the triumph of the human spirit over seemingly insurmountable atrocities, Dougherty's diary is a "must" read for both Civil War buffs as well as others.