author
Robert A. Ragan
A firsthand Civil War memoir brings readers into the tense, divided world of East Tennessee, where loyalty could be dangerous and every journey carried real risk. Written by a Union supporter who lived through arrests, escapes, and military service, it offers a direct, human view of the conflict.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Robert A. Ragan was the author of Escape from East Tennessee to the Federal Lines, a memoir published in 1910. In it, he recounts his own experiences during the American Civil War from 1861 to 1864, writing as Captain R. A. Ragan and focusing on the dangers faced by Union supporters in East Tennessee.
His book stands out as a personal narrative rather than a distant history. It follows his arrests, narrow escapes, and efforts to reach Federal lines, giving readers a ground-level picture of how the war shaped everyday life in a deeply divided region.
Very little biographical information about Ragan is easy to confirm beyond his authorship and his wartime connection to East Tennessee. Even so, his memoir remains valuable for readers interested in Civil War eyewitness accounts and the lived experience of people caught on the Unionist side of the conflict in the South.