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Dancing Along the Deadline: The Andersonville Memoir of a Prisoner of the Confederacy | 
 enlarge | Author: Ezra Hoyt Ripple
Publisher: Presidio Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $7.99
You Save: $11.96 (60%)
New (9) Used (25) from $4.80
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 1667545
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0891415777
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.782
EAN: 9780891415770
ASIN: 0891415777
Publication Date: June 1, 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: PROMPT shipping with USPS tracking number emailed to the buyer. This book is unmarked, tight, clean, unread. The book and the dj are pristine.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Book Description
A first-hand account of the ordeal of prisoners at the notorious Civil War prison camp.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Kory's Review for Ms. Balentine March 5, 2004
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book was good as far as memoirs go. It was a good read, and I learned a lot about the prison life during the Civil War. This book was about how horrible prison life was during the Civil War. This book takes place mainly in two prisons, and possibly two of the worst prisons, Andersonville and Florence.
The whole book was about the Civil War; mainly it talks about Ezra Hoyt Ripple's exploits in a Civil War prison, and how horrible the conditions were in the
prisons in the South. Ezra, and a few other soldiers from his regiment were captured during the siege of James Island, and sent to the prison in Andersonville. Ezra goes through his horrible ordeal with his three closest comrades in prison, John Rapp,
Michael Beavers, and John Brennan. Ezra is an amateur violin player, and in prison that can get you some respect, food, and even more freedom. In Andersonville, as with many Civil War prisons, disease was rampant, and many hundreds of people died every day, from diseases such as the fever, scurvy, dysentery, cholera, and the flu. The prison guards at Andersonville are particularly mean to the prisoners, because the prisoners are Union men, and the Confederate soldiers hated them for being so. The book describes in excruciating detail how prison life was harder for the Union soldiers in captivity, then it was for the Confederate prisoners. The people in these prisons had to deal with an insufficient amount of clothes, poor shelter, horrible weather conditions, and barely enough food rations to live. It's a wonder that anyone made it out of these prisons alive for being in the prison after an extended period of time.
This book's strengths are its main theme, which is how horrible prison life in the South was during the Civil War, and the storyline is interesting. The theme has a lot of textual backup, because the whole book relates to the main theme, I thought it worked well how Ezra tied events that happened in the book to the theme of the book. The pictures he drew were helpful to try to visualize what was going on. It is written well, and is as interesting as a memoir can be. It is a good war book, because the things written about are real events experienced by the author of the book. What I liked about this book was that it was very realistic, and that it actually happened, which makes it more tragic.
This book's weaknesses are that it is kind of wordy, and at times difficult to read, because of the many lapses in the action. This book could be better if it talked more about the more interesting parts, because most of the good action parts are only briefly mentioned, whereas the most boring, lame events are talked about extensively. What I didn't like about this book was that it was sort of boring, and very descriptive of the diseases, which is, in my opinion, disgusting.
Overall this book is a very good read as far as memoirs go, and I recommend it to anyone that needs to read a memoir, or that just likes to read war books. It is entertaining, and is very real. It takes you to the Civil War days, so you can understand what it was like for these freedom fighters.
Kory Breig's Review for Ms. Balentine March 5, 2004
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book was good as far as memoirs go. It was a good read, and I learned a lot about the prison life during the Civil War. This book was about how horrible prison life was during the Civil War. This book takes place mainly in two prisons, and possibly two of the worst prisons, Andersonville and Florence.
The whole book was about the Civil War; mainly it talks about Ezra Hoyt Ripple's exploits in a Civil War prison, and how horrible the conditions were in the
prisons in the South. Ezra, and a few other soldiers from his regiment were captured during the siege of James Island, and sent to the prison in Andersonville. Ezra goes through his horrible ordeal with his three closest comrades in prison, John Rapp,
Michael Beavers, and John Brennan. Ezra is an amateur violin player, and in prison that can get you some respect, food, and even more freedom. In Andersonville, as with many Civil War prisons, disease was rampant, and many hundreds of people died every day, from diseases such as the fever, scurvy, dysentery, cholera, and the flu. The prison guards at Andersonville are particularly mean to the prisoners, because the prisoners are Union men, and the Confederate soldiers hated them for being so. The book describes in excruciating detail how prison life was harder for the Union soldiers in captivity, then it was for the Confederate prisoners. The people in these prisons had to deal with an insufficient amount of clothes, poor shelter, horrible weather conditions, and barely enough food rations to live. It's a wonder that anyone made it out of these prisons alive for being in the prison after an extended period of time.
This book's strengths are its main theme, which is how horrible prison life in the South was during the Civil War, and the storyline is interesting. The theme has a lot of textual backup, because the whole book relates to the main theme, I thought it worked well how Ezra tied events that happened in the book to the theme of the book. The pictures he drew were helpful to try to visualize what was going on. It is written well, and is as interesting as a memoir can be. It is a good war book, because the things written about are real events experienced by the author of the book. What I liked about this book was that it was very realistic, and that it actually happened, which makes it more tragic.
This book's weaknesses are that it is kind of wordy, and at times difficult to read, because of the many lapses in the action. This book could be better if it talked more about the more interesting parts, because most of the good action parts are only briefly mentioned, whereas the most boring, lame events are talked about extensively. What I didn't like about this book was that it was sort of boring, and very descriptive of the diseases, which is, in my opinion, disgusting.
Overall this book is a very good read as far as memoirs go, and I recommend it to anyone that needs to read a memoir, or that just likes to read war books. It is entertaining, and is very real. It takes you to the Civil War days, so you can understand what it was like for these freedom fighters.
 RICKS REVIEW OF DATDL FOR MS BALENTINE March 1, 2004
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
The story starts out with a flash a telling of dates and numbers relevant to the story. Then he continues on to tell of his experiences in the army and the description of his capture. He is on a mission to attack a confederate fort when he and others of his regiment are captured. They are soon taken to a confederate prison to which most will not return. As he becomes accustom to the surroundings he realizes the true horror and struggle he will face to survive. With each passing day he learns new tricks to survive as other prisoners pass away. These tricks and his luck help him succeeded in surviving. His luck is great at times, first he is asked to play the violin for the confederate officers and declines, a poor choice, then a fellow prisoner asks him to play a song for him and he is paid in food and drink. As he plays more and more for the prisoners he earns their respect. This respect will grant him many gifts as he spends more and more time in the prison. He soon describes other events and rules in the prison such as a punishment for thieves was to have half the head shaved so that all who saw him would know he was a thief and punish him in such a way to make him regret such a poor choice. One trick used to smuggle food in was when the wood crew went out to cut wood they'd be allowed to bring in one log of their own as payment. They often times would bring in hollow logs and the confederates wondered why. They never found out the true reason until one day when a member of the wood crew stumbled and dropped him log, all the beans hidden in the hollow log were spilt across the ground. The wood crew while out cutting wood would buy beans off local slaves or anyone willing to sell for a much cheaper price than the prison and smuggle them in to eat or sell. Ezra's story continues when he tries his hand at escaping which unfortunately fails horribly. In the end he's is released and sent back to his home in the North.
Ripple does a great job of describing his story while in prison. It has its up and downs though. The detailed description and the pictures he drew help you to get a full understanding of what he went through. The bouncing between past and present makes the story confusing and tricky to understand. He goes from being in jail to after the war, to the reunions of the prisoners he went to. All these descriptions make the story hard to follow, but add to the feeling. Other than those few shortfalls it's an incredible book.
I would definitely recommend this book to others. This is great story of overcoming death and hopelessness to survive and come home again. This is an incredible tale of a man's overcoming of the worst odds through faith and hope. If you're interested in the civil war or just interested in stories of conquering the worst odds, then this is a book for you.
RSMITHS REVEIW FOR MRS BALENTINE March 1, 2004
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
The story starts out with a flash a telling of dates and numbers relevant to the story. Then he continues on to tell of his experiences in the army and the description of his capture. He is on a mission to attack a confederate fort when he and others of his regiment are captured. They are soon taken to a confederate prison to which most will not return. As he becomes accustom to the surroundings he realizes the true horror and struggle he will face to survive. With each passing day he learns new tricks to survive as other prisoners pass away. These tricks and his luck help him succeeded in surviving. His luck is great at times, first he is asked to play the violin for the confederate officers and declines, a poor choice, then a fellow prisoner asks him to play a song for him and he is paid in food and drink. As he plays more and more for the prisoners he earns their respect. This respect will grant him many gifts as he spends more and more time in the prison. He soon describes other events and rules in the prison such as a punishment for thieves was to have half the head shaved so that all who saw him would know he was a thief and punish him in such a way to make him regret such a poor choice. One trick used to smuggle food in was when the wood crew went out to cut wood they'd be allowed to bring in one log of their own as payment. They often times would bring in hollow logs and the confederates wondered why. They never found out the true reason until one day when a member of the wood crew stumbled and dropped him log, all the beans hidden in the hollow log were spilt across the ground. The wood crew while out cutting wood would buy beans off local slaves or anyone willing to sell for a much cheaper price than the prison and smuggle them in to eat or sell. Ezra's story continues when he tries his hand at escaping which unfortunately fails horribly. In the end he's is released and sent back to his home in the North.
Ripple does a great job of describing his story while in prison. It has its up and downs though. The detailed description and the pictures he drew help you to get a full understanding of what he went through. The bouncing between past and present makes the story confusing and tricky to understand. He goes from being in jail to after the war, to the reunions of the prisoners he went to. All these descriptions make the story hard to follow, but add to the feeling. Other than those few shortfalls it's an incredible book.
I would definitely recommend this book to others. This is great story of overcoming death and hopelessness to survive and come home again. This is an incredible tale of a man's overcoming of the worst odds through faith and hope. If you're interested in the civil war or just interested in stories of conquering the worst odds, then this is a book for you.
Life and Death Inside Confederate Prisons November 2, 2003
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Ezra Hoyt Ripple served the Union as a private in the 52nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. He spent 9 months in Andersonville and Florence prisons as a prisoner of war. "Dancing Along the Deadline" is his detailed account of his experience in these infamous prisons, written originally for his family, then published during his lifetime. Mr. Ripple commissioned Civil War veteran and war correspondent James E. Taylor to illustrate his memoirs with drawings that depict scenes that he describes. This edition of "Dancing Along the Deadline" contains 55 of Mr. Taylor's black and white drawings, captioned by the author. Ezra Ripple worked closely with James Taylor on these excellent drawings to ensure their accuracy, and they help the reader immensely in forming a mental picture of what the prisons and their residents actually looked like. In "Dancing Along the Deadline", Ezra Ripple paints a detailed picture of the conditions which captured Union soldiers endured inside Confederate prisons. As starvation was the greatest hardship, Ripple writes a lot about how the prisoners acquired food and how they made the most of it. He describes the physical layout of the prisons, the prisoners' routines, the prison guards and administrators, and his interaction with them. Although Andersonville was the Confederacy's largest and most infamous prison -and Ripple attests to its ruthless commandant- Florence prison actually had a higher death rate, in spite of its more sympathetic administration. And Ripple might have died there if not for his skills as a fiddler. He and several other prisoners formed a string band which performed for the officers and at local social gatherings. Ripple's memoirs are characterized by his general lack of malice toward his jailers. He was a religious man and a staunch patriot, so those are the eyes through which we see his world. He doesn't lump the Confederates who imprisoned him and his comrades into one "enemy" group. He criticizes the behavior of some, praises the character of others, and places the ultimate blame for the dreadful conditions in Confederate prisons on Brigadier General John H. Winder, who was in command of the prisons and whose goal seemed to be to bring all of the prisoners to their deaths. Although Ripple describes a lot of horror within the walls of Andersonville and Florence prisons, he claims to have omitted some "horrible details" of which "common decency" forbids mention. Reading his memoirs, I think we can guess what some of those "details" might have been. "Dancing Along the Deadline" is required reading for anyone interested in the Civil War. And it's an interesting account of how people endure the unendurable and then how one man looked back on it. The "deadline" of the title is the line running around the outskirts of the prisons which any prisoner would be shot for crossing.
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