This book is about a Union soldier from Missouri who enlisted in August 1861 at the age of nineteen. His Illinois company fought the Rebels at Stones River, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In fact, he spent two years of the war traversing this great state of Tennessee, though most was in the Middle section, where people are friendlier. I know, because I lived there for most of my adult life.

In May, 1862, his group was traveling down the Tennessee River over a very rough countryside to Pittsburg Landing, and on to Corinth, Mississippi. On September 1, they came back up through Florence, Alabama, Lawrenceburg, Spring Hill and Franklin to Murfreesboro on the way to Cumberland Gap. On Sept. 7, in Nashville, he wrote "all the country from here to Lawrenceburg is as pretty as it can be." Walking at the rate of fifty miles a day, they found 60,000 troops there.

His brother, John, was killed early in October on the battlefield at Perryville; "would I had died in his stead --- my only, my true and noble hearted brother," he wrote to his mother. He sent her a lock of John's hair, everything taken from his pockets but his "Testament."

November 4 they were on their way back to Nashville from Kentucky. Thirty miles to the SE there were 100,000 Confederates at Murfreesboro waiting for them on December 2. From January 10-25, 1863, it was rainy but "warm as May" at their camp east of Murfreesboro. "The enemy reinforced is reported at Shelbyville 22 miles away."

In Franklin, just outside Nashville, "This is the prettiest country I ever saw...the few people who are left are very friendly and of refined manners." On June 30, they were in Manchester, 13 miles from Tullahoma and July 12 found them in Winchester, "no pen, let alone mine, can describe the horrors of civil war."

He had no high regard for the Southern men and called them names, but "the people are sociable and intelligent and very obliging to the soldiers...the town is healthy and beautifully situated." On August 8, he wrote, "The Dixie gals are awful nice, and it is very pleasant to be here."

He was wounded in the Battle at Murfreesboro on Sept. 27, 1863. His arm healed properly and by March 3, 1864, they were in East Tennessee. March 3, 1864, they were in Newmarket, 40 miles north of Knoxville and on the 25th in Strawberry Plains only 20 miles from town. However, they bypassed us and, from April 16 to May 31, his company was in Cleveland, TN south of Knoxville, 30 miles east of Chattanooga. His last letter was written on June 8 and he was discharged Sept. 5, 1864, with the rank of Corporal.

This was the story of Benjamin "Webb" Baker, based on ninety letters to his mother, grandfather, Uncle Adams, Cousin Louisa, Cousin Amos, and his brother, John. It is written by his great grandson, Benson Bobrick who also used family papers of his late grandfather, James Chamberlain Baker -- which means that Webb got home safely and married, thus a son to look after the legacy of war as he experienced it.