LeGrand James Wilson, entered the Mississippi 1st Infantry Regiment as a private, rising quickly to Lieutenant. He took up the work of Surgeon while in the service and by the battle of Fort Donelson, he was serving as regimental Surgeon. He was captured along with the rest of the regiment and following escape from prison, joined the Mississippi 42nd Infantry Regiment, serving the remainder of the war in Virginia.

This is an excellent firsthand account told from the perspective of an officer in the ranks. It is one of the books identified in Dornbusch's Bibliography as one of the finest Civil War histories.

We have added a number of footnotes to the original book, identifying the units of service of the men and officers he met.