In this compilation of Civil War writings, Dr. Irene McCrystal provides readers with a unique insight into how the war affected both the notable and the ordinary citizen, physically, mentally, and emotionally. This invaluable collection of writings from diaries, letters, and speeches includes those of Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Frederick Douglas, Walt Whitman, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Booker T. Washington, to name a few. These selected writings offer perspective on the lives of the people who experienced first-hand this pivotal and horrific period of U.S. history.