"I have told a plain unvarnished story; what is lacking in style may, I trust, find compensation in the fairness and absolute truthfulness of the facts and figures. I have spoken of things as I saw them, without malice and free from passion or fear. If I have overstepped the bounds of modest propriety, or grown prosy and uninteresting, this must be ascribed to the natural garrulity of an old soldier in fighting over his battles."--George Wilson Booth. The Civil War tore Maryland in half. Young George Wilson Booth followed the call of the Confederacy and served four years under the banners of the Army of Virginia. During the bright days of the early successes at both Manassas battles and in smaller tussles, from the Peninsula to the Valley, Booth saw history being made. He served with Stonewall Jackson, "Grumble" Jones, Dick Ewell, Jubal Early, and John Imboden. Wounded at Greenland Gap, he arrived late at Gettysburg--probably to his good fortune. Promoted to captain, Booth was in the Valley in the final days, was present at the burning of Chambersburg, and was taken prisoner after Winchester. An unreconstructed rebel, Booth tells his story simply and straightforwardly, perhaps because he intended this book for friends and family and therefore felt no need to be "literary." The result is a dramatic, powerful, and honest account that takes its place among the best of the Confederate memoirs. Introducing this Bison Books edition is Eric J. Mink, a national park service historian at Richmond National Battlefield Park.