The Boys of '61 or, Four Years of Fighting, Personal Observations with the Army and Navy

"The Boys of '61" by Charles Carleton Coffin is a historical record from the late 1800s that recounts the author's firsthand experiences as an army correspondent during the American Civil War, from the initial clash at Bull Run to the Confederate capital’s collapse in Richmond. The book aims to vividly depict the war's important events, its brave figures, and the significant hardships of that period. Coffin emphasizes how the war and slavery affected the people involved and the feeling that the war had on communities and the desire to preserve the Union. He shares war stories from both sides, exposing the difficult lives of soldiers, the feelings of citizens, and how the war split the country apart.