A personal history of the American Civil War taken from the author's own letters to 'the girl he left behind', who later became his wife. This is not a complete history and does not deal with major events, but is a snapshot of life in the Second New Hampshire Regiment and humanizes the history we study. Haynes went on to have an illustrious career. After the war, he founded a local newspaper, of which he was editor. He was also elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and became clerk to the county Supreme Court. He was president of the New Hampshire Veteran's Association. Haynes served as United States Representative for the state of New Hampshire from 1883-1887. He then moved to the Treasury Department and was instrumental in founding the Internal Revenue Service of the Philippines. (Summary by Lynne Thompson)