Being episodic accounts illuminating the lives of North Carolinians during the War of the Rebellion. The book proceeds for most of its length with only a vague nod to chronology, but tightens focus during the final few chapters, which treat of General Sherman's invasion of the state at war's end. The author tells us that he was selected for this project, originally a series of articles for his state's historical society's magazine, because, not in spite of, the fact that he is not a historian but a creative writing professor, and indeed, he's a magnificent storyteller. He chooses his vignettes carefully and often builds to a memorable and dramatic climax, just as in a good novel. ( )