xFaces of the Civil War: An Album of Union Soldiers and Their Stories by Ronald S. Coddington. "A tour-de-force. The cartes de visite of soldiers proudly posed in their uniforms and the narratives of their lives, drawn from the veteran's service and pension records, enable the reader to better understand the grim realities that confronted Civil War soldiers and sailors on the battlefield, in camp, on the march, at the hospital, and also on the home front." -- Edwin C. Bearss; "Ron Coddingtonís research is prodigious and his writing excellent. The biographical sketches of common soldiers in Faces of the Civil War are engaging and endlessly fascinating. He has and is making an important addition to Civil War study, bringing to life ordinary men who stepped forward to fight for the Union.î -- William J.K. Beaudot; "First-class storytelling that skillfully combines words and images to educate and fascinate at the same time.î -- Bob Zeller; "An excellent overview of the Northern soldiers who served in the American Civil War, some of whom are featured in this book. [Coddington's] verbal portraits, combined with the images, tell the real story ó how ordinary men who left their civilian lives to serve their country faced extraordinary circumstances and responded with leadership, bravery and sacrifice.î -- Kathryn Jorgensen; "Excellent work, a nice concept well executed.î -- William C. Davis; "What I especially enjoyed about this beautifully illustrated book was that the stories are about real people, ordinary people, not all of whom were 'heroes' in the accepted sense of the word." -- Sylva Coppock
