Letters Home - Henry Matrau of the Iron Brigade (Hardcover, annotated edition)

"A must buy for specialists and anyone interested in the Army of the Potomac, the war in the east, or human courage." - Civil War History. "A well-edited, comprehensively annotated personal and heartfelt account of one volunteer's service, exemplifying patterns common to the majority of foot soldiers while nevertheless demonstrating Matrau's unique individualism." - "Society of Civil War Historians Newsletter". "A must for all admirers of that stellar combat unit ...especially important because of its information on the 1864-65 Virginia campaigns, which are given short shrift in other books on the Iron Brigade." - Civil War. "A remarkable testament to the endurance and tenacity of [a] young man ...an outstanding anthology of Civil War letters." - "Wisconsin Magazine of History". This volume comprises sixty-three previously unpublished letters from a young Civil War soldier to his family in Bainbridge Township, Michigan, written while he served in the Sixth Wisconsin Regiment, one of the units of the acclaimed "Iron Brigade." Only sixteen when he joined the Union army in 1861, Henry Matrau survived to describe the anxiety and discomfort of camp life and the sheer terror of combat. Henry Matrau's letters were edited by his great-granddaughter, Marcia Reid-Green, who lives in Pennington, New Jersey.