This is the story of Albert Lotz and his family. An immigrant family that lived through the hardships of establishing a new life only to to face the horrors of war on one of the most horrific battlefields of the American Civil War. This family story encompasses their lives before and after the war which - due to unforeseen circumstances - packed up for a western migration to San Jose, California. The family experienced heartbreak, success and loss in this immigrant's tale of a new life.