Realizing that people of his generation knew about the battles fought in their own regions, but very little about the battles outside of their area, Lossing considered it important to capture that information prior to its being lost. He sketched landmarks as they existed at the time of his travels to make sure that they were recorded for the "admiration and reverence of remote posterity." The result of his travels is this three-volume set, which includes in-depth interviews with veterans. Originally written in 1852, and referencing all the government and private collections available to him, this book, along with his engravings and sketches, evocative of the period, illustrates the historical account.