Ken, your book is destined to become a classic of Civil War history. Since there were a lot of Arkansas troops in the battle of Perryville, I've always wanted to understand the movements leading up to the battle, and the ebb and flow of battle lines. However, the events were so confusing that I just couldn't ever get a firm grasp of what was happening.

I can't imagine how much research and analysis it took for you to work it all out. It's an amazing, and sometimes bizarre, story -- the opposing commanders who seemed to be in a state of denial, issuing conflicting orders; petulant generals refusing to obey orders; near mutinies among some of the Northern regiments; the awesome bravery of that little band of Mississippi sharpshooters; Liddell's Arkansas brigade virtually slaughtering those Indiana troops -- man, your book has it all. If ever a Civil War book was a candidate for a movie script, this is it.

I'm going to urge all my friends and colleagues to read the book.