Observations of an Illinois Boy in Battle, Camp and Prisons—1861 to 1865

The story contained in this book is a true one. It was taken from letters, memoranda and memory. The author has in his possession twenty-nine letters written by him while in the army, from 1861 to 1865, and sent to his relatives, who returned them to him at the close of the war.

Henry Eby's story of service with the 7th Illinois Cavalry in the American Civil War is like many soldier stories. Told in his own way, it is compelling for its simplicity, despite the horrors and deprivations he endured. He fought at Stones River, Chickamauga, and elsewhere.On September 20, 1863, Eby was captured. Barely surviving, he and a friend escaped, only to be captured again. Eventually parolled, he returned to his unit and served out the rest of his enlistment.Every memoir of the American Civil War provides us with another view of the catastrophe that changed the country forever.

The memoranda were written soon after his return from the army. The accounts taken from memory are reasonably correct, as the scenes through which he passed, though here poorly portrayed, are of a character not easily forgotten. They are indelibly stamped upon the memory, and it seems, as time rolls on, that it renders the recollection of them even more vivid and distinct. After revising this story a number of times it is presented to the reader in its present form.