My two great-grandfathers, Jasper Smith and Ellwood Janney, served in the Eighteenth Michigan Infantry during the American Civil War. In 1864 the Eighteenth found itself in Decatur, Alabama, way down south across the Tennessee River. There, along with newly organized 14th US Colored Infantry, they had to stop Confederate forces under General Hood and the notorious Nathan Bedford Forrest. Had they failed Nashville likely would have fallen into Confederate control and caused the defeat of President Lincoln in the looming election. Outnumbered by 35,000 Confederate Forces to 5,000 Union forces...