I held Lincoln : a union sailor's journey home

Lt. Benjamin Loring (1824–1902) lived the life of an everyman Civil War sailor. He commanded no armies and devised no grand strategies. Loring was a sailor who just wanted to return home, where the biggest story of his life awaited him. Covering almost a year of Loring’s service, I Held Lincoln describes the lieutenant’s command of the gunboat USS Wave , the Battle of Calcasieu Pass, the surrender of his ship, and his capture by the Confederates. He was incarcerated in Camp Groce, a deadly Confederate prison where he endured horrific conditions and abuse. Loring attempted to escape, evading capture for ten days behind enemy lines, only to be recaptured just a few miles from freedom. After an arduous second escape, he finally reached the safety of Union lines and gained his freedom. On the night of April 14, 1865, Loring attended Ford’s Theater and witnessed one of the single most tragic events in American history: the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. After the shot rang out, Loring climbed into the presidential box and assisted the dying president, helping to carry him across the street to the Peterson House. Using Loring’s recently discovered private journal, Richard E. Quest tells this astonishing now-recovered story, giving insight into a little-known Confederate prison camp during the last days of the Civil War and providing much-deserved recognition to a man whose journey was nearly lost to American history. Getting in the fight The Wave A seasick Wave No coal The enemy is close by A precious rose Chicken feed Prison Escape! Through the wall On the outside Plantations Dog ranch De Doe is dead?! The hunter Interrogation A night drive A Confederate bastille Anderson Grimes County Jail The Old Pen again Deadliest killer Making the best of it The swamp Tied up The power of the pen(cil) Navigating by the wind Parched corn Over the river and through the woods Bear Swamp Confederate potatoes Goodbye Texas Home Guard and Yankee prisoners Old friends? Your passes or your life! Where is my penknife? The last toenail A burned bridge Chimneys on the horizon Lincoln coffee and a civilized bed The surprise Washington Navy Yard I held Lincoln. The story of Lt. Benjamin Loring, who escaped from a Confederate prison camp to regain his freedom, and after returning home, witnessed the assassination of President Lincoln at Ford's Theater.