In 1864, Archie Van Orden crafted a crude spoon together using nothing but tin scraps and ingenuity. The story of how this spoon kept him alive when thousands of others perished in the most desperate conditions will be revealed in my book.
Until then, Archie’s own words (written to his family) suffice to tell of its import: “Though a miserable excuse for a spoon, I would not trade it for a silver service.”