The Sentinels of Andersonville
Andersonville Prison was a death camp masquerading as a prison for captured Union soldiers during the Civil War, but did the Confederates want it that way? The author relays a story so horrifying yet utterly compelling as we follow three young soldiers whose lives will never be the same simply because they crossed paths. While transporting his prisoner to Andersonville, Emery Jones suddenly faces treasonous thoughts when he realizes the deplorable conditions of the prison in Georgia. He meets Dance Pickett and Violet Stiles, who echo his sentiments about the conditions. Their efforts to clean up Andersonville lead to sad statements about humanity and the lack of justice during wartime.
This novel is a stirring story that demands to be read in one sitting because readers won’t want to leave these unforgettable characters, and Tracy Groot could not have done a better job with this topic. Even while giving us horrifying visions of “fence-posts” of dead soldiers, we still cannot help but reach for that ultimate gift of a happily- ever-after. The Sentinels of Andersonville is a wonderfully powerful and evocative story that I would recommend to any historical fiction fan.
