On Many a Bloody Field follows one of the Civil War's most famous combat organizations - Company B, 19th Indiana Volunteers of the Iron Brigade, in a vivid account of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Alan D. Gaff follows the men from recruitment through mustering out, from the tedium of camp to the excitement of battle. Marches and battles are described in detail, but Gaff also devotes close attention to how the war affected individuals, both physically and emotionally. Formed into a brigade with the 2nd, 6th, and 7th Wisconsin, these Indiana soldiers fought their first real battle at Brawner Farm. Over four difficult years they fought on many a bloody field: Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Fitzhugh Crossing, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Laurel Hill, North Anna River, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, and Weldon Railroad. With meticulous care, Alan Gaff recounts the experience of war from the soldier's perspective, often in the words of the men themselves. This intimate portrait of men at war is an important contribution to the literature of the Civil War.

This biographical dictionary documents the Union army colonels who commanded regiments from Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. Entries are arranged first by state and then by regiment, and provide a biographical sketch of each colonel focusing on his Civil War service. Many of the colonels covered herein never rose above that rank, failing to win promotion to brigadier general or brevet brigadier general, and have therefore received very little scholarly attention prior to this work.