The letters and diaries of three civil war soldiers from the 30th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War. These writings give insight to what a soldier that served with this regiment experienced from the letters they wrote home and the diaries that was written as a personal record of their experience. David W. Poak was well educated and quite literate, Edward Grow and even more so Henry McLain wrote the words as they sounded to them. I tried to keep their spelling and punctuation as close to their written text as possible so the reader can get a better feel for the soldier himself. This is a book for those who are familiar with the Civil War and are looking to expand their knowledge from the soldier's perspective.