Edwin Sumner

In only fifteen minutes of fighting, Sumner lost nearly 2,000 men. He fell exhausted from his horse, dazed by the disaster and heartsick for his men. He still hadn’t heard from General French. Where in the hell is French? Men spoke to him, but he didn't hear. Someone placed a piece of paper in his hand and said something else he didn’t understand. The oldest, most experienced man on the field leaned against a tree and struggled to breathe as he wiped the sweat and tears and powder from his face. My God, what a disaster.
Finally he opened the folded document he held in his hand. He didn’t know what it was or where it had come from.
“General McClellan desires you to be very careful how you advance, as he fears our right is suffering.”

The preceding passage is an excerpt from To Make Men Free, and may not be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.