Fourteen-year-old Johnny Ables left his farm one morning in early 1862 to gather wood, riding into danger and adventure he could never have imagined. A desperate group of Confederate soldiers kidnapped Johnny for his horses and wagon. Forced into battle at Fort Donelson, Johnny endured cannon fire and hand-to-hand combat and was stranded freezing, alone, and dazed among wounded and dying men. After a miserably cramped voyage by steamboat and train, Johnny and his kidnappers were marched to Camp Morton Prison in Indianapolis. There, Johnny struggled to survive.