This book is a fictional account of a diary produced by a Civil War Surgeon. Although the diary is fictional the story line is accurate within the limits of probabity. The focus of the book is what the day to day life in the Civil War was like for a physician and surgeon.

He carefully turned the pages of the fragile volume immediately recognizing what it was. He had seen this once before at his grandfather’s house many years ago when he was just a boy. He had wanted to look at it then, but his grandfather had told him that it was not something that he should be handling and to wait until he was older. Although he had begged it was taken from him and put up on the mantle out of his reach. He guessed that when his grandfather had passed away a few years ago his father had taken it as he was gathering items from his father’s house. He went over to the recliner and sat down in it to look at the volume. It was very old and he knew to handle it with great care. The book was a diary that was kept by his Great Great Grandfather during the Civil War. He knew that he had been a surgeon in the Union army but did not have any more knowledge of what was in it. He read the cover page done beautifully in script that was reminiscent of an earlier time: Diary of Dr. Isaac Scott Parkersburg, Virginia WV 7th Infantry 6th Regiment 1862 to 1865 He knew that Isaac was the name of his Great Great Grandfather, but that was about all he knew about it. He read the first page that was a description of the unit itself. The 7th was formed in 1861 at Wheeling, VA and was comprised of men from what at that time were Western Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio and was originally called the Virginia 7th Infantry. He went on that in 1863 when the state of West Virginia was formed from Virginia and added to the Union the unit became the West Virginia 7th Infantry The unit had the nickname of “The bloody 7th” in deference to their service and loss of life in the War. He turned to the first dated page and read the entry. APRIL 22, 1862 Soon I begin my life as a soldier. I have left my darling wife Emily and family behind to answer President Lincoln’s call for volunteers that I feel obligated to respond to. I enter into this endeavor, not lightly, but with great trepidation. I have heard the horrors of war and know that as a physician I will see many things that I will not enjoy. War will be a mixed experience I feel. There is a thrill and excitement to it, but there is underneath a feeling of great apprehension. This is not the play of children acting out war, but the real thing with real guns, blades and artillery. I admit that I have a certain dread of the next few months. Even with the risk involved it is still the correct thing to do. In the greater sense, the country is at a crossroads right now with many of the southern states having left the Union without proper cause in my view. Either of their issues, states’ rights or slavery are not valid reasons for this war to me. Turning my back on the cause of the union now seems to be totally without merit and almost an act of cowardice. Being human I admit freely that I am afraid of what may happen to me. But, I know that should I refuse to answer this request I would agonize for the rest of my life knowing that I did nothing when the call from my country came. Therefore I have decided to enlist and also have undertaken to keep this diary as a record of my observations on the pursuit of the war. Perhaps sometime in the future my wife and family will read this record and have a better understanding of the war and my motivations for participating in it.

Thomas McIntire is a retired pharmacist and lives in Morgantown, WV. He researched the book extensively to guarantee accuracy of the events that are described. The author has published one other work, chronicling the Blennerhassett - Burr conspiracy events in the early 1800's.