Robert Walker went off to the American Civil War for the Union at the age of only 20. His concerns in the letters are those of most soldiers and a recurring theme is why the folks back home are not writing often enough. At one point he tells his mother through a letter to his sister that he won't write any more unless she writes. He chafes a bit at his mother's mothering from afar: "You sometimes inquire about my morality. I should not be ashamed to have my army proceedings read out to the world." Most of the surviving letters are to what is clearly a favorite sibling, his sister Harriet (1837-1916), who also seems to write him the most often. Walker fought at Stone River, Chickamauga, and other important battles before his death in 1864. Though he jokes with his sister in early letters, they become more serious as time goes on. Front-line letters and diaries of the Civil War bring an immediacy to a long-ago event and connect us to these everyday men and women who lived it. For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.