Ordained a Presbyterian minister in the late 1840s, Nicholas A. Davis joined the Fourth Regiment of Texas Volunteers as chaplain in 1861. Soon after, the unit moved to Virginia, where they fought in the Seven Days Campaign, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, and Fredericksburg. Davis wrote his memoir two years into battle, drawing upon keen observational skills and a diary he kept faithfully. He delves deeply into little known topics such as religion in the field, the duties of army chaplains, the appalling condition of wounded men, and war-time Richmond.

Originally published in 1863 and expanded by Donald Everett in 1962, the volume has won acclaim from both scholars and buffs. To Everett’s muster rolls, casualty list, editor’s notes, and encompassing index, Robert Krick now adds a new foreword discussing the unsurpassed standing of this work.