The Civil War comes to life through the eyes of someone who actually lived it. From the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861, to the days following the surrender at Appomattox in 1865, Carlton McCarthy draws the reader into the world of the common Confederate soldier. With rich and vivid details of the military camps, marches, skirmishes and battles, his personal stories and anecdotes bring to life what it was like to be a soldier in the Army of Northern Virginia during that long brutal war. As a young man, McCarthy fought with local units before finally enlisting with the 2nd Company, Richmond Howitzer's Artillery Unit in 1864. He captures their day-to-day life, as well as their triumphs and tragedies, with both heart wrench-ing honesty and with the healthy dose of humor that enabled them all to bear the long years of hardship and deprivation. It has an accuracy and richness that could only come from a man who was actually there; and when you finish reading, you feel like you were there with him. "This absorbing and revealing book is an absolute "must have" for any Civil War buff!"