This book explores the daily lives of the men in blue who fought to save the Union. With the help of many soldiers' letters and diaries, the author explains who these men were and why they fought, how they reacted to combat and the strain of prolonged conflict, and what they thought about the land and the people of Dixie. This social history reveals that while the Yanks and the Rebs fought for very different causes, the men on both sides were very much the same.

Southward ho! -- From Reveille to Taps -- The supreme test -- In Dixie Land -- Along freedom road -- The depths of suffering -- Gay and happy still -- Toeing the mark -- Hardtack, salt horse and coffee -- Evil and goodness -- The spirits ebb and flow -- The men who wore the blue -- Billy Yank and Johnny Reb.