Emerson Opdycke, a lieutenant with the 41st Ohio Infantry and later a commander of the 125th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, won fame at the Battle of Franklin when his brigade saved the Union Army from defeat. He also played pivotal roles in some of the major battles of the western theater, including Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Missionary Ridge. Opdycke's wartime letters to his wife, Lucy, offer the immediacy of the action as it unfolded and provide a glimpse into the day-to-day life of a soldier. Viewing the conflict with the South as a battle between the rights of states and loyalty to the Union, his letters reveal his dislike of slavery, devotion to the Union, disdain for military ineptitude, and opinions of combat strategies and high-ranking officers. A thorough introduction by editors Glenn V. Longacre and John E. Haas and a foreword by Peter Cozzens provide additional historical context and biographical information. | Foreword by Peter Cozzens Acknowledgments xiii Editorial Method xvii Introduction 1. "To Battle for God, and the Right" AUGUST 31, 1861-FEBRUARY 13, 1862 2. "I Am Sick of Doing Nothing" FEBRUARY 15,1862-MARCH 31, 1862 3. "On Ground Made Red" APRIL 12,1862-APRIL 29, 1862 4. "Halleck Out Witted" MAY 12,1862-AUGUST 10, 1862 5. "I Am Proud of the Regt." DECEMBER 31,1862-FEBRUARY 10, 1863 6. "A Very Pretty, Wealthy, Secesh Place" FEBRUARY 14, 1863-JUNE 23, 1863 7. "The Roads Are Awful" JUNE 29,1863-SEPTEMBER 21, 1863 8. "They Can Kill Us, but Never Whip Us" SEPTEMBER 21,1863-SEPTEMBER 30, 1863 9. "Cruel War" OCTOBER 1,1863-OCTOBER 25,1863 105 10. "I Sacrificed My Personal Ambition" OCTOBER 28,1863-NOVEMBER 28, 1863 121 11. "I Am Sick of Being under Potomac Generals" NOVEMBER 29,1863-JANUARY 25,1864 138 12. "We Are in God's Hands" MARCH 31,1864-MAY 3,1864 159 13. "Under Fire" MAY 5,1864-JUNE 9,1864 169 14. "How Long Oh Lord How Long" JUNE 12, 1864-JULY 1,1864 183 15. "In Sight of Atlanta" JULY 4,1864-AUGUST 3,1864 192 16. "Such a Sea of Blood" AUGUST 6,1864-SEPTEMBER 7,1864 209 17. "An Important Captured City" SEPTEMBER 9,1864-SEPTEMBER 24,1864 222 18. "Hood Is Making Desperate Efforts" SEPTEMBER 26,1864-NOVEMBER 1,1864 229 19. "Fight Whenever and Whereever You Think Best" NOVEMBER 3,1864-DECEMBER 13, 1864 241 20. "Brilliant Victories" DECEMBER 17,1864-JANUARY 6,1865 259 21. "I Cannot Remain Away from You and the Boy Any Longer" JANUARY 8,1865-MARCH 28,1865 269 22. "Broken Limbs and Bleeding Hearts" MARCH 30, 1865-JUNE 14, 1865 282 23. "Homeward Bound" JUNE 17, 1865-AUGUST 29,1865 297 Appendixes 307 Bibliography 313 Index 321 Illustrations follow page 158 | "Glenn V. Longacre and John E. Haas are to be commended for giving us such a detailed look at the motivation, courage, and especially the political infighting of officers who served in the Army of the Cumberland. Opdycke's letters are expertly annotated with rich detail about the lives of individuals, including privates."—Journal of Southern History
"An absolute goldmine. . . . The Battle for God and the Right . . . is an absolute must for serious students of the western theater. The reader is taken beyond the bland, often self-serving reports of the Official Records and shown the behind-the-scenes personal stories."—Journal of Military History
| Glenn V. Longacre is an archivist with the National Archives and Records Administration, Great Lakes Region, Chicago. John E. Haas is a reference archivist with the Ohio Historical Society, Archives/Library Division, Columbus.