From Goodreads:
"Here are the battles and the people of the Civil War presented from the point of view of the common soldiers who fought the battles and the common people who lived through the war.

Earl Schenck Miers is one of the best known among writers on the Civil War. In this book he proves not only his thorough familiarity with his subject, but also his understanding of young people and his amazing ability to present strictly factual material in so dramatic a fashion that it becomes more exciting and moving than any imaginative adventure story could be.

The author's aim in writing this book was to tell the story of the war objectively, with understanding and sympathy for both sides; to explain, simply, the strategy of the war; not only to give accounts of major battles, but to translate these into human terms. He also discusses the songs that were sung in the North and South, tells how they were inspired and what they meant.

Finally, and most important, Mr. Miers has brought the moral force of the war into focus and has made a great contribution to the healing of wounds. This is a book to be read and reread--a dramatic, moving story that gets into the hearts and minds of the people and reveals aspects of American history not to be found in any textbook. "