Esther Sullivan has no idea what she will lose from the Civil War... or how much she will gain.

"Why did you let him go?" she asked quietly, sitting below her father and gazing toward Mama's distant grave. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I cannot force him to believe the way I do, and I cannot force him to stay here. So I said I wouldn't stand in his way." He sighed again. "It's better this way. He will want to come back home, whereas if he had run off, it would be harder for him to face me." Esther nodded and leaned against his leg. "I only hope that he will get...