More than 30 years after the events depicted, the author discovered that many of his letters home had been saved and that led to the writing of this book.  The discovery of those letters led to an intense reflection of the events that had transpired so many years earlier and how that experience had subsequently come to influence the authors future life and actions - sometimes in entirely unanticipated ways. 

Copiously illustrated with photographs, drawings and even reproductions of some hadwritten documents, the book presents a reflective view of a participant during a very important time in American history.  The inclusion of Civil War letters of an ancestor written during the American Civil War provide an even longer historical perspective on the nature of war and the feelings shared by generations of men and women who leave the comforts of home, family and friends to participate sometimes willingly (and even eagerly) but sometimes very reluctantly in the endless wars that seem to be a constant in the human experience.