This may be the most fascinating collection of letters of the American Civil War. This interesting, witty, and accomplished family had two American presidents in their lineage, and one of the correspondents was Lincoln's ambassador to England.

With America's future in doubt, three men of the Adams family exchanged letters about everything from politics to generals to emancipation to gossip about the rich and powerful. Boston-born and Harvard-educated, their letters are brilliant.

Charles Francis Adams, Sr. (son of President John Quincy Adams and grandson of John Adams) was Lincoln's minister to the Court of St. James. His son, Henry, was his secretary in London.

Charles Francis Adams, Jr. hated being a lawyer and joined the Union Army as a private. He distinguished himself at the battles of Secessionville, South Mountain, Antietam, and the Gettysburg Campaign and he was eventually brevetted a brigadier general.

All the while, these remarkable men, who knew everyone, carried on an extraordinary correspondence about the war. You won't likely find a more interesting set of viewpoints from the battlefield and from London all in one two-volume set. Charles Jr. writes of his interactions with Grant, Meade, Hooker, Burnside, Butler and more.

Every memoir of the American Civil War provides us with another view of the catastrophe that changed the country forever.

For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers, tablets, and smartphones.

Originally published in 1920.