In 1861, as President Lincoln called for volunteers to defend the Union, Thomas Christie wrote to his father, voicing desires shared by many an enlistee: "I do want to 'see the world, ' to get out of the narrow circle in which I have always lived, to 'make a man of myself, ' and to have it to say in days to come that I, too, had a part in this great struggle."

As it turned out, Thomas had an excellent partner in his quest: his brother William. Both signed on with the First Minnesota Light Artillery, working as "cannoneers," responsible for loading and aiming big guns at the enemy....