A Brotherhood Of Valor

This unusual and moving chronicle covers some of the most important battles of the Civil War -- Sharpsburg (Antietam), Gettysburg, and Chancellorsville -- through the stories of the two brigades who confronted each other on the bloody fields of battle. Drawing on original source material, Jeffry Wert reconstructs the drama and terrors of war through the eyes of the ordinary men who became members of two of the most respected fighting units of their respective armies, the Stonewall Brigade of the Confederacy and the Iron Brigade of the Union. There are tales of grueling marches and almost unbearable deprivations; eyewitness accounts of ferocious fighting and devastating losses on both sides; and portraits of acts of courage and valor performed by soldiers and officers who, despite the difficulties they faced, remained dedicated to the cause for which they were fighting.

Jeffry D. Wert is the author ofeight previous books on Civil War topics, most recently Cavalryman of the Lost Cause andThe Sword of Lincoln. His articles and essays on the Civil War have appeared in many publications, including Civil War Times Illustrated, American History Illustrated, and Blue and Gray. A former history teacher at Penns Valley High School, he lives in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, slightly more than one hour from the battlefield at Gettysburg.

Contents Preface Author's Note 1 Gatherings 2 Fury on a Hill 3 Virginia Autumn 4 "Damd Hard Business" 5 "If This Valley Is Lost" 6 War In The "Daughter of the Stars" 7 Virginia Summer 8 Into the Brotherhood 9 "Corn Acres of Hell" 10 "This War It Seems Cannot End" 11 River Crossings 12 "This Cursed War" 13 Gettysburg 14 Two Rivers 15 "Played Out" 16 A Brotherhood of Valor Appendix Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index