{"product_id":"the-life-of-a-union-army-sharpshooter-the-diaries-and-letters-of-john-t-farnham","title":"The Life of a Union Army Sharpshooter: The Diaries and Letters of John T. Farnham","description":"\u003cp\u003eJohn T. Farnham  a sharpshooter in the Union Army  wrote a substantial diary entry nearly every day during his three-year enlistment  sent over 50 long articles to his hometown newspaper  and mailed some 600 letters home. He described training  battles  skirmishes  encampments  furloughs  marches  hospital life  and clerkships at the Iron Brigade headquarters and the War Department. He met Lincoln and acquired a blood-stained cuff taken from his assassinated body. He befriended freed slaves  teaching them to read and write and built them a school. He campaigned for Lincolns re-election. He subscribed to three newspapers and several magazines and devoured 22 books. He attended 23 plays and six concerts during his service. He was gregarious and popular  naming in his diaries 108 friends in the service and 156 at home. Frail and sickly  he died of tuberculosis four years after his discharge. He paints a detailed portrait of the lives of ordinary soldiers in the Union Army  their food  living conditions  relations among officers and men  ordeals  triumphs  and tragedies.  Nominated for the Gilder Lehrman Prize\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44984100585525,"sku":"ByrdShop_162545077X","price":30.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781625450777.jpg?v=1770822886","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-life-of-a-union-army-sharpshooter-the-diaries-and-letters-of-john-t-farnham","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}