G. A. Henty 
With Lee in Virginia 

The Great War between the Northern and Southern States of

America possesses a peculiar interest to us, not only because it was a

struggle between two sections of a people akin to us in race and

language, but because of the heroic courage with which the weaker

party, with ill-fed, ill-clad, ill-equipped regiments, for four years

sustained the contest with an adversary not only possessed of

immense numerical superiority, but having the command of the sea,

and being able to draw its arms and munitions of war from all the

manufactories of Europe. Authorities still differ as to the rights of the

case. The Confederates firmly believed that the States, having

voluntarily united, retained the right of withdrawing from the Union

when they considered it for their advantage to do so. The

Northerners took the opposite point of view, and an appeal to arms

became inevitable.