"In a conflict that was the largest in the history of the Western Hemisphere, the Civil War brought unprecedented suffering in every form. The common soldier, the Johnny Rebs and Billy Yanks demonstrated for all time how to endure, to fight, to suffer, to die, to remember and to forgive. In the fire and ashes of a great civil war, the strength of the common soldier stood supreme. Because of that, and because of them, America still thrives."--Publisher's website.