Two months after the attack at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, 18-year-old George W. Gardner enlisted in the 35th Regiment New York State Volunteers. A few months after that, his father, Ebenezer, enlisted in the same regiment. What they did not know was what awaited them: a Union Army of the Potomac struggling to defend its capitol, suffering defeat and losses at the hands of a well-trained rebel Confederate Army. Year 1862 would find the father and son and their comrades on their heels, and in retreat most of the time. It would take them to some of the Civil War's most storied and bloodiest battles; Antietam, Bull Run, Fredericksburg, South Mountain - and valiantly protecting Washington's own doorstep. Corporal Gardner's efficient, curt style of writing, documenting his duties during those battles, is enhanced by added historical information in the footnotes. Relevant Civil War photos from the Library of Congress, George Gardner's personal post-war documents and photos, and photographs of excavated relics from the areas mentioned in the diary, give this book a complete "life story" feel.