The Bravest of the Brave

“The letters . . . offer rare insight into the personal opinions of a high-ranking Civil War officer.” — McCormick Messenger

“Kundahl’s collection and commentary provide an outstanding depiction of Ramseur’s views, ambitions, and personal feelings. Kundahl also supplies informative and useful footnotes for background information. . . . A skillfully edited collection. . . . Useful and interesting not only to military historians but also to those interested in the views of young white men of Ramseur’s generation.” — Virginia Magazine of History and Biography

“Edited in a way that provides ample context in non-overwhelming fashion. . . .The richness of content in Ramseur’s letters should brand Kundahl’s edited volume as an instant classic and an invaluable research tool for Civil War historians.” — Civil War News

“While this collection will be particularly valuable for scholars, this book should not be limited to the dusty confines of university offices. As a tale of friendship and love, life and death, duty and manhood, Ramseur’s story encompasses many of the enduring and universal experiences of human existences.” — Civil War Book Review

“Kundahl’s edition of Ramseur’s letters will likely stand as one of the most important published collections of Civil War letters.” — The North Carolina Historical Review

“This treasure-trove of Stephen Dodson Ramseur’s candid and thoughtful letters to his family, friends, and wife lays bare the innermost thoughts and emotions of a young Southerner devoted to securing the Confederacy’s independence. It is destined to take a prominent place among the classics of primary Civil War literature.” — Gordon C. Rhea, author of In the Footsteps of Grant and Lee

“Stephen Dodson Ramseur well represented that class of aggressive young generals to whom Robert E. Lee entrusted his Army of Northern Virginia in battle. These letters effectively recapture the life and character of an educated and articulate Southerner who remained both convinced of the rightness of his cause and truly devoted to his family and friends until he fell in battle at Cedar Creek in October 1864.” — Carol Reardon, author of Pickett’s Charge in History and Memory