George W. Murray. A History of George W. Murray, and his Long Confinement at Andersonville, Georgia. Hartford, Connecticut: Case, Lockwood, and Company, privately published, [late 1860s?]. 12mo. Original wrappers. Second edition, preceded by Northampton printing. Nevins I, 198. 

Fascinating autobiographical pamphlet privately published by Civil War veteran and Andersonville prisoner of war camp survivor George W. Murray, bearing the haunting subtitle "Also the Starvation and Death of his Three Brothers at the Same Place." After the War, Murray penned this tragic volume, which he then self-published and sold to earn money to support his family. A native of Bovina, New York, Murray's parents moved the family to Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1861, Murray and his three older brothers enlisted in the 11th Massachusetts Infantry to fight for the Union. In 1864, all four Murrays were captured by Confederates at the Battle of Spotsylvania. They were subsequently imprisoned at the infamous Andersonville, where illness and suffering began to take a serious toll on the Murray family. By the time the camp was liberated by Sherman's men, only George remained alive, but not without permanent disability.

Of this ordeal and its effects, Murray wrote: "All the fingers on my right hand gone, and my arm, from my wrist to my elbow, partially paralyzed; nearly one-half of my right foot was in a similar condition, while the rest of it is drawn entirely out of shape, which obliges me to use a crutch … I returned home a mere wreck of my former self. Therefore, unable to work, and ashamed to beg, I have taken this method to raise a small capital to start some business, in order to enable me to support my family comfortably."

This pamphlet (30 pp) remains in excellent condition, considering its age and relatively unsophisticated publication. It remains a testament to the incredible sacrifice of a Union soldier and his family, who suffered unimaginable loss in the Civil War. 

SCARCE. Only six copies of any edition have sold at auction in the last 75 years. We located only 1 copy held institutionally by the Library of Congress. 

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