Obi escapes from slavery during the Civil War, joins a black Union regiment, and soon becomes involved in the bloody fighting at Fort Pillow, Tennessee.

Offers the remarkable, but forgotten, story of George Company during the Korean War, an outfit of hastily trained green soldiers that faced an entire division of Chinese troops on the frozen tundra of Chosin Reservoir.

"In World War I, telephones linked commanding generals with soldiers in muddy trenches. A woman in uniform connected almost every one of their calls, speeding the orders that won the war. Like other soldiers, the "Hello Girls" swore the Army oath and stayed for the duration. A few were graduates of elite colleges. Most were ordinary, enterprising young women motivated by patriotism and adventure, eager to test their mettle and save the world. The...

On April 14, 1861, following the surrender of Fort Sumter, Washington was an ideal target for the Confederacy. For twelve days the city's fate hung in the balance-- isolated from the North, without trains, telegraph, or mail, and with a rumored force of 20,000 Confederate soldiers just across the Potomac River. Lockwood tells the story from the perspective of leading officials, residents, Confederates plotting to seize the city, and Union troops racing...

" ... Drawn from letters, diaries, speeches, articles, poems, songs, military reports, legal opinions, and memoirs, 'The Civil War: The First Year' brings together over 120 pieces by more than sixty participants to create a unique firsthand narrative of this great historical crisis ..."--Dust jacket flap.