HELL ON BELLE ISLE; DIARY OF A CIVIL WAR POW. JOURNAL OF SGT. JACOB OSBORN COBURN.

Coburn, Jacob Osborn, Allison, Don

J. Osborn Coburn, a native of Ohio, was raised in northeastern Indiana. He returned to Ohio and worked as a railroad surveyor and studied law while a resident of Bryan and Edgerton, Ohio. He moved to Michigan before the Civil War began, and opened a law office in Big Rapids, Mich.

In the summer of 1862 Osborn enlisted in the 6th Michigan Cavalry. While serving with Company I of the 6th Michigan he was captured at Charles Town, W.Va., and was imprisoned in Richmond, Va. Osborn, who kept a diary outlining his experiences as a POW, died in 1864, at age 32, as a prisoner in Richmond. His diary, and letters he wrote prior to his capture, are the basis of "Hell on Belle Isle: Diary of a Civil War POW."

In editing and narrating Hell on Belle Isle, Donald L. Allison drew on his experience as a journalist and knowledge gained from a lifetime of researching and reading about the Civil War. Ancestors of Don fought on both sides during the conflict. As a child he was fascinated by touring Civil War battlefields in the South while visiting family in Alabama, and interest has stayed with him ever since.

Don is a lifelong resident of Williams County, Ohio, where Jacob Osborn Coburn, whose diaries and letters are the subject of the book, lived before moving to Michigan. As a high school student in the early 1970s Don got his start in journalism, covering and photographing sports events for the Stryker and West Unity, Ohio, Advance-Reporter newspaper.

In 1980 Don received a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Toledo. After college he covered news events for the Advance-Reporter and worked in advertising for the Sherwood News, then joined the daily Bryan Times newspaper as county editor in 1981. He is currently editor of the Bryan Times.

During his tenure at the Times Don has received writing awards from United Press International and the Associated Press. He has written numerous articles on the Civil War which have appeared in the Times and the Williams County Historical Society's award-winning newsletter, Northwest Historian.

Don's research into the war includes living history. He is a member of the 100th Ohio Volunteer Infantry reenactment unit, and is affiliated with the 116th Pennsylvania reenactors. Also, he appeared in the motion picture Gettysburg and the TNT television mini-series Andersonville.

Don and his wife, Diane, reside in Bryan, Ohio, with their youngest son, Joe. Their oldest son, Stuart, is a graphic artist and designed the cover of this book.