I bought this book because my great great grandfather was captured at the battle, and I wanted to glean some details. I did not expect it to be so absorbing. David Faris Cross clearly has compassion for those who died there or were captured, and is very insightful about how poor command decisions led to tragic results. He presents a fresh analysis of conditions of the many Vermonters who ended up in Andersonville and other prisons. The book includes lots of details, but it is much more than a dry catalog of history.