My Desperate Journey

True story: In July of 1864, Union forces under the command of General William T. Sherman invaded the small sleepy community of Roswell, Georgia. Sherman then ordered the arrest of approximately 400 old men, women, and their children who had been working at the two mills making clothing for their soldiers and had them packed inside railroad boxcars and shipped to northern cities. Once arriving, they were dumped out and forgotten with no funds or means of survival. Very few were ever successful in returning home. Today we would call this terrible action a war crime. Alan Losure's Civil War era novel is a gripping tale telling of a young girl's desperate journey to get home and of the modern-day treasure hunt attempting to locate priceless historical artifacts hidden away, awaiting discovery. Excerpt from the book:"The freight car doors were opened, and planks were laid that we were forced to walk up to enter the cars. There were no seats, and each freight car was packed tightly with our people. Mother, Vicki, and I managed to stay together, and we soon found ourselves jammed in tightly, like pigs going to slaughter. Before closing and locking the open doorway, a Union soldier placed a wooden bucket inside and instructed that it be placed in a corner. This bucket was the only latrine for all of us to use. He then gave us a bucket of water and a box of army biscuits that was meant to last for the trip. We begged him not to close the door, but soon we found ourselves in near darkness as the train slowly began to pull away."