Covers the Mississippi County, Missouri, battle, the first Civil War battlefield test of Ulysses S. Grant. It occurred just across the river from Cairo, Illinois, from which the union troops came. The Confederates crossed from Columbus, Kentucky. This book is a comprehensive study of the battle.

ch. 1.What I want is to advance -- ch. 2. Grant and McClernand -- 3. Cairo -- ch. 4. Polk and Pillow -- ch. 5. Columbus -- ch. 6. Down the river to look for a fight -- ch. 7. Walke -- ch. 8. Turn out! Turn out! -- ch. 9. My heart kept getting higher and higher -- ch. 10. Nothing out there but Yankees -- ch. 11. Every man was now his own captain -- ch. 12. Fighting the same ground over again -- ch. 13. Surrounded! Surrounded! -- ch. 14. A perfect storm of death -- ch. 15. Pumpkins in a cornfield -- ch. 16. A glorious repulse -- ch. 17. It will not do to smile in triumph.