Burning Rails as We Pleased: The Civil War Letters of William Garrigues Bentley, 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry

William Garrigues Bentley chose to leave the safety of home and family at age 19 and march off to preserve the Union. He enlisted in the 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company G, in 1862 and served for three long years before being honorably discharged. His firsthand account details his day-to-day life as a soldier, the long marches around Kentucky, skirmishes with the Rebs, joining with Sherman's army in the Atlanta campaign, then chasing Hood into Tennessee and fighting in the bloody battle at Franklin, and on to rejoin Sherman in the winter of 1865 for the final months of the Carolina campaign. The discovery of new letters and documents about the Civil War is uncommon today. This book - compiled from a collection of 142 letters - not only is an important historical record but also offers an insight into the political thoughts and feelings of the time. Bentley participated in 13 of the notable battles of the war. The book includes a complete roster of the 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.