Set during the turbulent years of the American Civil War, Echoes of Andersonville is the compelling story of Andy Parker, a young patriotic boy from Rhode Island who runs away from home to join the Union Army in 1861. During the Army of the Potomac's fierce struggle with the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the 1864 Battle of the Wilderness, he is captured and sent to Andersonville, the South's most notorious prison camp. The history of America's most tragic period comes alive for young readers as the incredible saga behind one of the Civil War's little known facts is revealed through a courageous young soldier's extraordinary survival experience. Echoes of Andersonville is the engaging, very readable story of a captured 15-year-old Union drummer boy and a bitter young Confederate prison guard. Their lives become woven together against a backdrop of battles, dramatic escapes, hangings and enough flying limbs and bad guys to keep an avid video-game warrior engaged. -- The Nashville Tennessean, Sept. 3, 1999 -- The Nashville Tennessean, Sept. 3, 1999 As a veteran Civil War Re-enactor, Robert Dean is dedicated to historical accuracy and authenticity. This commitment is clearly evident in his debut novel that explores this fascinating aspect of the war that few Americans even know about. Young readers will not only get a great story, but will also learn many historical facts and insights that will make learning about the Civil War an enjoyable experience. I've loved the Civil War ever since my first visit to the Gettysburg battlefield as an impressionable 12-year-old. My interest in Andersonville began when I participated as an extra in the filming of the movie Andersonville in 1994. The facts about what happened during its 14 months of operation are so incredible it's hard to believe it all really happened. As a father of a teenager, I was so moved when I learned that young drummer boys no older than my son spent time in the prison, that writing the story from a youth perspective came quite natural. Robert Dean is a self-confessed Civil War fanatic. As a Civil War re-enactor he has participated in numerous large-scale battle re-enactments around the country and has appeared in several re-enactment videos and magazine pictorials. Dedicated to making the Civil War come alive for students, he also does live presentations at schools dressed in full Union infantry uniform. Born in Missouri in 1954, Dean now resides in the historic Civil War town of Franklin, Tennessee with his wife Becky and three children; Meredith, Morgan and Bonnie. Echoes of Andersonville is his first book. From Chapter 1: The rain had been coming down all night. Not a soft, gentle rain, the kind that lulls you to sleep as it whispers through the trees, but a hard, driving downpour that washes out the roads and generally makes life miserable for a soldier. Young Andrew Parker rolled over in a vain attempt to get more comfortable, but by now the icy water had infiltrated his little shelter completely. Sitting up, he rubbed his swollen eyes and wondered if this dreadful weather would ever end. How is the army ever going to march over to Virginia and lick Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia if we can't get the wagons, horses and cannons out of this quagmire