As the regimental surgeon for the Eighth Cavalry during the American Civil War, Dr. Abner Hard saw it all. His troops were at Manassas, Gettysburg, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Boonesboro, Brandy Station, Fredericksburg, and more.

When the bullets stopped, Dr. Hard took upon himself the task of documenting the privations, sorrows, and bravery of the fighting men of the Eighth during their long years of war. With detail, humor, and insight, he covered the ground well in the 1868 publication about the boys in blue that he knew.