The author has created a narrative thread which connects, supports, and amplifies the original letters written between 1861 and 1866 to Amanda Davis, a young woman from Friendship, Maine. Most of the letters were written to her from her cousins in the nearby village of Warren or from neighbors and relatives who were enlisted in the Union Army. These letters are so fresh that through them readers can easily enter the 1860s world of small-town Maine and see how deeply people were affected by the war. Spontaneous and unselfconscious, these letters reflect the correspondents' strong personalities as well as local thinking, sayings, and humor. Although some letters come from army camps and hospitals, the bulk of them describe life at home. Over seventy illustrations and six maps, along with recipes, advertisements and excerpts from the local newspaper and national magazines, enhance the text. Anyone interested in the Civil War, Maine history, or nineteenth century women's history will want to add this book to their library.