When Mary gave a journal to her fiancé when he left for war in 1861, neither of them had any idea how many hands would write in the little book over the next four years. The little book travels from soldier to soldier throughout the Civil War, crossing battle lines several times to reflect the thoughts of men on both sides of the war. Each man who writes in the book is in a different place in his relationship with God, and each finds help from the words others have written. The sounds of cannon and musketry are no longer heard on American soil, but the spiritual problems these men faced--lack of faith, doubts, jealousy, blaming God for their bad choices--are still with us today. Perhaps we too can find help for our spiritual problems in the words these men wrote long ago.