This was an interesting book, in that it actually addressed the presents of homosexuality in the military during the Civil War. There have been some quite recent studies of this, but it certainly was not at the forefront when this novel was written. Overall, this is a very depressing read. The author falls into the old "war ain't worth it" thing, as if duh, we don't know that already, but he is a good story teller and certainly gives us points to ponder here. Some of the author's symbolism is rather difficult to follow, but this is a rather minor problem. All in all, as I said, this is an interesting read. I probably would not actually buy it, but it is well worth checking out from the library.