"Burrows and Keating have done well to contextualize Tracy's wartime experiences and preserve his own voice. This is an interesting collection for those interested in soldiers and the home front, efforts at commemoration, and the history of central New York." --Civil War Monitor

"Osgood Tracy's fascinating letters give historians and the reading public alike new perspectives on the experiences of Civil War soldiers. The details of army life and soldierly bonding are rarely so evocatively captured as in this primary source. Sarah Tracy Burrows and her direct ancestors deserve our thanks for preserving and finally publishing these letters." --Journal of America's Military Past

"These wartime letters from a Union army officer to his mother, interspersed with his later accounts of the battle of Gettysburg and his capture at the battle of the Wilderness and subsequent escape, describe a range of soldier experiences: camp life, marches and battles, bonding with comrades, the highs and lows of morale, and homesickness. The reader will emerge with a broadened understanding and appreciation for the service and sacrifices of Civil War soldiers." --James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom

"From bad food and boredom to the horrors of Gettysburg and his escape from a Confederate prison, Osgood Tracy's missives bring the reader into the beating heart of the bloody conflict that defined our nation." --Eleanor Herman, New York Times best-selling historian

"Tracy's letters provide excellent content from which even experts will glean information and insight to the experiences of Civil War soldiers through the unique perspective of a staff officer." --Patrick A. Schroeder, Historian, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park