The book describes a two-year search for information about an undocumented ancestor who left England for the U.S. in 1851. The author was able to uncover much of his great, great-uncle's life from birth to death including his memoirs of the Union Army unit he fought with in the Civil War. These recollections have been combined with the historical record of the various military actions to produce a comprehensive description of the conditions and events involving his unit from Second Bull Run to Petersburg. After his war service Samuel settled in Manchester NH and the author was able to identify a number of milestones in his life and set them within the societal context of the times. A wealth of historical information has been interlaced with discussions of genealogical methods and sources.