The first book-length biography of Margaret Haley (1861–1939) focuses on her political vision, her activities as a public school activist, and her life as a charismatic woman leader.

"By following Turchin to Athens and examining the volunteers who made up his force, the colonel's trial, his subsequent promotion to Brigadier General, the policy debate, and public reaction to the outcome, the authors further illuminate one of the most provocative questions in Civil War studies: how did Union policy evolve from one of conciliation to one far more modern in nature, placing the burden of war on the civilian population of the South?"--Jacket.