The fourteen tales contained in this volume vividly evoke the incredible period of American history that to this day does not fail to stir the emotions. All the stories were written during the war, with eyewitness accounts of military and naval battles, including the "Merrimac" and the "Monitor"; Sheridan's courageous hold against Grant; even Sherman's March. But there are also personal accounts that poignantly depict the turmoil this nation was thrown into with the causes and issues of the war. There is the story of a young boy first going off to war in 1861; and a tale about a drummer boy at the battle of Gettysburg, and much more. Archival documents and photographs illustrate many of the stories, further enhancing the unique approach to history of this book, and how it helps the tragedy and the courage of the Civil War endure for all generations.