To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the end of the Civil War, Diversion Books is publishing seminal works of the era: stories told by the men and women who led, who fought, and who lived in an America that had come apart at the seams.

Most know Abner Doubleday as the man who "invented" baseball. But before he dedicated himself to the national pastime, he was a captain of artillery in the Union Army. He fired the first shot to defend Fort Sumter. This highly readable account of his time at war brings keen observation to the brutal conflict, revealing both a grueling account of war and the often thoughtful, contemplative men embroiled in the conflict. Doubleday's account of a secret evacuation will put readers on the edge of their seats, but it is his reflective tone that invites attention, and multiple readings.