"Through explanatory passages and extensive notes that accompany Barlow's letters, Christian G. Samito sheds new light on the life of a major general. The letters, which span the entire war, trace the development of Northern intellectuals' perspective on the war and military life. The book illustrates how a young man, unskilled in military science, eventually became one of the North's strongest combat leaders, and a postwar politician."—Civil War Book Review

"An impressively informative anthology of American Civil War correspondence from a young intellectual and lawyer, who entered the war as lieutenant and ended it as one of the North's premier combat generals . . . a superb primary source and a welcome addition to personal, academic Civil War Studies supplemental reading lists, and library reference shelves."—Wisconsin Book Watch