Three years in the service : A record of the doings of the 11th Reg. Missouri Vols.

A vivid, first‑person chronicle that follows a young private as he answers the call to defend his country. He leaves Springfield on foot, joins a fledgling infantry company, and boards steam cars toward the restless frontier of Missouri. The early pages capture the bustling enlistment stations, the bittersweet farewells, and the cramped river crossing that thrust him into the heart of the war.

Once in Missouri, the regiment endures exhausting drills, meager rations and the rough accommodations of a deserted mill at Cape Girardeau. The narrative paints the town’s tense atmosphere—guarded streets, a half‑finished fort, and the looming threat of a rebel force bearing heavy artillery. Through the soldier’s eyes, listeners hear the clang of bugles, the clatter of muskets being issued, and the camaraderie forged amid fatigue duty, all set against the gritty reality of the first months of conflict.