The 124th New York State Volunteers was one of the great fighting regiments of the Civil War. In this thorough history, the author has used letters, diary entries, and remembrances, many of them previously unpublished, to present a view of the war as the men in the ranks saw it. At Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Petersburg, and many more battles, the "Orange Blossoms" earned a reputation for sacrifice and bravery, eloquently put into words by Private Henry Howell. As he lay wounded, he described the charge that broke the Confederate line at Spotsylvania--"everyone was borne irresistibly forward. There was no such thing as fail." The book includes a roster of all who served in the regiment and numerous photos of individuals.

Highlights of the regiment's service were its near-annihilation at Gettysburg; the brutal march to and from Knoxville; its almost daily action during the Atlanta Campaign, followed by the March to the Sea; and the Campaign of the Carolinas. Excerpts from primary source documents, including diaries, memoirs, letters, local newspapers, Company order books, and medical records from the National Archives never before researched, capsule biographies of all 1100 who served, maps and statistical data, and photographs.