History books are full of stories about the dangers and deprivations endured by soldiers who fought in the Civil War. What may be less well known are the challenges faced by journalists of the day who risked everything to get to the front lines of battle.
Two of these daring, self-proclaimed “Knights of the Quill” are the subject of a lively new book by Peter Carlson, titled Junius and Albert’s Adventures in the Confederacy: A Civil War Odyssey. Northern reporters Junius Browne and Albert Richardson were captured by the Confederates, subjected to harsh prison time and eventually made a 340-mile voyage back home. Mr. Carlson recounts their experiences in his book, which, as the title suggests, was an adventure in every sense of the word.
Peter Carlson was a reporter and columnist for the Washington Post for 22 years and he now writes a column for American History magazine. He was a guest on Reader’s Corner in 2010 to discuss his earlier book, K Blows Top: A Cold War Comic Interlude Starring Nikita Khrushchev, America’s Most Unlikely Tourist. That book has since been optioned for a feature film.
