Deeds of Valor

Before the last gunshot echoed through the battlefield in 1865, the total casualties for the Civil War reached 1.2 million -- more than the total number of United States troops in World War I and II combined. This dark crisis in American history still horrifies and captivates many historians and Americans today. "Bullet and Shell" and Deeds of Valor journey back to the hallowed ground of the Civil War battlefields and relive the appalling conditions on the field and the unspeakable destruction of war.

"Deeds of Valor" is a compendium of the personal memories and records of Civil War solders who were the first to be recognized for their bravery and awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The book recounts 293 of the most incredible war stories and heroic acts of courage in American history that occurred in the course of 185 different battles and engagements of the Civil War. Included are striking events recounted from such battles as Antietam, Atlanta, and Richmond, and accounts like Private Manning's colossal bluff in the midst of 200 enemy soldiers and Corporal Traynor's amazing capture of his captors.