"This narrative of Colonel Livermore's war experience was commenced immediately after the conclusion of the Civil War, while its events were still fresh in his mind. Though often urged by the members of his family to publish the work, he always declined, giving as his reason that the events related were often so personal in their nature that they could better be published after his death ... If the author's style, at times, may seem unfinished, it must be remembered that he was but twenty-two years of age at the commencement of the work"--Foreword.