Sojourns of a Patriot: The Field and Prison Papers of An Unreconstructed Confederate, published in 1998, is a book in the Journal of Confederate History Series of publications. Richard Bender Abell did the research, writing and publishing and co-author Fay Adamson Gecik, now deceased, supplied the letters and diary. The is wonderful story consumes 252 pages.
Notes Concerning the Primary Author.
Richard Bender Abell, a member of the Society of Independent Historians, received both his undergraduate and law degrees at the George Washington University in Washington, D. C. He volunteered and served in the Peace Corps in South America, and then volunteered and served in the U. S. Army in Vietnam. He is a decorated combat veteran retired for wounds received in action. He has taught law, been a deputy sheriff and a prosecutor, and served in several Presidential appointments under President Ronald Reagan. After considerable experience on the bench of the Federal Judiciary, he is now retired. Mary Fay Adamson Gecik, who supplied the papers on which this book is based, is now deceased, Abell and Gecik were cousins.
Abstract.
Confederate corporal Augustus Pitt Adamson of Jonesboro, Georgia enlisted in Company E, 30th Georgia Volunteer Infantry in 1861, steadfastly serving his country until the spring of 1865. Over 80 letters, carefully edited with commentary, reveal a keen insight into the military, political and social scenes of a war-torn nation struggling to achieve its independence.
A. P. Adamson writes of his participation in the actions at the siege of Savannah, campaigning in the Carolinas and Florida, the abortive Vicksburg relief expedition and the battle of Jackson, the gallant charge of the 30th on the first day of the Battle of Chickamauga, where he was wounded while serving in the color guard, and the 1864 North Georgia campaign at Dalton, Rocky Face Ridge, and Resaca, until his capture at Calhoun in May.
He then describes his experiences in a journal written during his incarceration at the “Andersonville of the North,” Rock Island POW Camp, Illinois. This diary is an uncommon find. A. P. was imprisoned until his exchange in February 1865. His abiding faith and ardent patriotism are constant themes throughout.
Availability of the Book.
This book is number 19 in the Journal of Confederate History Series, published by Southern Heritage Press in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The series editor is John McGlone. Perhaps the easiest was to obtain a copy is thorough a search at Amazon.com. An email to richard_bender_abell@yahoo.com might be helpful.