Book excerpt: Chickamauga, Stone River, Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta, and Sherman's March to the Sea. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Hendrick Fitch was at all of them and more. Looking back 40 years, he recounts the battles, the humorous tales, the anecdotes of Grant and other famous soldiers whom he met, and simple soldier stories. "As we crossed a creek before arriving at the battlefield, the horses all stopped to drink. Grant pulled out his match-box and lighted a cigar. While he was doing this, his horse let fly with his hind foot at [Baldy] Smith’s horse. Whereupon Smith hit Grant’s horse across the rump with his stick and at the same time made some familiar remark to Grant about riding such a vicious horse. I was looking intently at Grant at the time and was struck with his perfect stolid indifference. He never for an instant changed the position of his hand or head in lighting his cigar, nor said a word, nor did he seem conscious of the episode, though his horse moved up suddenly. I thought it very characteristic of his qualities as a soldier." Front-line letters, diaries, and stories 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.