Sacrifice, Survival, and Strength
The Human Face of the Civil War

Behind every battle fought during the American Civil War stood ordinary men and women whose lives were forever changed by extraordinary circumstances.

In these seventeen classic stories and historical sketches, young soldiers confront the harsh realities of war, families are divided by loyalty and conscience, veterans struggle to rebuild their lives, and moments of courage emerge in the most unexpected places. Alongside tales of sacrifice and survival are flashes of humor, compassion, romance, and redemption that reveal the deeply human side of a nation at war.

Featuring works by Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Ambrose Bierce, Louisa May Alcott, Kate Chopin, Hamlin Garland, Henry Cabot Lodge, and others, Sacrifice, Survival, and Strength explores the emotions, relationships, and personal choices that shaped the Civil War
experience.

These unforgettable stories move beyond battlefields and generals to illuminate the hearts, hopes, fears, and enduring strength of those who lived through America's greatest trial.

Featuring the work of renowned authors and hidden gems of classic American fiction, including:

The Private History of a Campaign that Failed, by Mark Twain
On Picket Duty, by Louisa May Alcott
Southern Sketches, by Bill Arp
The Brothers, by Louisa May Alcott
Fred Trover's Little Iron-Clad, by John Townsend Trowbridge
The Return of a Private, by Hamlin Garland
Charles Russell Lowell, by Henry Cabot Lodge
An Indiana Campaign, by Stephen Crane
Escape of General Breckinridge, by John Taylor Wood
A Horseman in the Sky, by Ambrose Bierce
The Bushwhacker's Gratitude, by Kirke Munroe
The Death of Stonewall Jackson, by Theodore Roosevelt
A Tough Tussle, by Ambrose Bierce
The Locket, by Kate Chopin
Two Military Executions, by Ambrose Bierce
General Grant and the Vicksburg Campaign, by Henry Cabot Lodge
The Veteran, by Stephen Crane