This book examines the letters of soldiers and civilians from western North Carolina during the turbulent period of the Civil War. The letters featured here were taken largely from family collections of Civil War letters housed in academic institutions of North Carolina. These are the letters that have been passed down for generations and generously donated to universities for the purpose of disseminating information about Civil War life to the public. Some are still privately owned by families. All of the letters express the hopes and longings of families separated by war. In their own words, the voices of western North Carolina citizens tell their stories of courage, their allegiances and their love of family and homeland.