“C. H. Ruffin, of Nash Co., wounded yesterday. Dies in my arms—in perfect peace. Charlie enlisted at 17, and, perhaps, was the wildest boy in his Regiment.”

Secular or religious, you will find Alexander Betts’ diary from his service in the American Civil War moving, interesting, and illuminating of its time. Edited and published by his son in 1901, the diary entries provide fascinating details from everyday life during the war in the south.