John Sexton IV's retired parents spend two years assembling a book of John's genealogy and present it to him on his fortieth birthday. But strangely missing from the old letters, official documents, and newspaper clippings, is information about John's namesake, the first John Sexton. A family legend does tell a vague story of John's great-great-grandfather having married an unnamed Choctaw Indian woman, but there are no records of the marriage, only proof that they bore a son. In an attempt to complete his family tree, John begins a search for his mysterious ancestors. Months of research eventually lead him from his home in Washington to a restored plantation mansion in Mississippi. There, the current resident takes John on a journey back in time and reveals an extraordinary truth that will change the Sexton family name forever. Of Guardians and Angels is a story of humanity in a time of war. It is a story of great courage, love, and faith, and how, even in the darkest days of our nation's history, dignity and compassion prevailed.

This is the story of one of America's truest heroes. From his legendary bayonet charge down the slopes of Little Round Top hill during the Battle of Gettysburg, to the startling calling of Union troops to salute as the defeated Confederate Army surrendered to him at Appomattox, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain redefined the scale of greatness in this country. Wounded six times in battle, twice assumed to be a fatality, the volunteer officer from Maine continued to lead gallantly until the final shot was fired during the Civil War. Valor's Measure tells the death-defying tale of this Medal of Honor hero and captures his spirit as no autobiography can.