Escape From Johnson's Island

About the Book

Teenagers Edwin Heffron and his fiancé, Ellen George, agree to forego marriage while serving their country during the Civil War. Edwin and his younger brother, Cassius, enlist together in the Union army and serve as sentries at Johnson’s Island Prison which holds only captured Confederate officers. Cassius becomes disabled while on sentry duty and is discharged. Prisoner escapes are initiated, particularly a daring and ambitious scheme to free all the prisoners here in one major effort. While Edwin is involved in preventing prisoner escapes, Ellen serves as a volunteer army nurse, exposed to deadly diseases among some hospitalized soldiers. Whether Edwin and Ellen will be able to carry out their long term promise to marry after the war is highly uncertain.

About the Author

Kenneth Clare grew up in Bayfield, Wisconsin. He received a Ph. B. degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from the University of Southern California. For a few years, he was Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the University of Southern California and served on the faculties of other universities. Over a period of several years he was engaged in research and consulting work on economic development problems. Later, he was a senior economist at the World Bank and traveled in many countries. He lives in Bradbury, California.