Robert W. Rudy of Cleveland, Ohio, was an ardent Civil War enthusiast and amateur historian who relished this lifelong passion, having gotten the bug when he met an aging veteran as a small boy. He spent many vacations touring battlegrounds with Jane, his good sport wife of 45 years. Bob knew soldiering. He enlisted in the Army at 17 and served with the 82nd Airborne during WWII, opting for an extended stay in Italy at war's end. In the late 1990's he enjoyed serving as a host on AOL's Mason-Dixon chat room where he sparked as many lively discussions as he made good friends. It was then, during retirement, that he began writing this story.