This is the story of the soldiers of Hardcastle's 3rd Battalion Mississippi Infantry from enlistment to the end of the war. It includes their mid-war incarnation as the 45th Mississippi Regiment and the role they played in Cleburne's fabled division during almost every major engagement of the Army of Tennessee. Told as much as possible from the point of view of the private soldier, the book attempts to understand not only the causes of the Civil War, but the social and political factors that motivated the original volunteers to join and continue fighting to the end. The battles are discussed and analyzed in their strategic context with emphasis on the battalion's role in the outcome, including the specific Federal units they fought against and first person accounts from both sides about what happened. Twenty battles and skirmishes are covered in detail, highlighted by excerpts from personal diaries. Appendices include an annotated roster, the diary of Lieutenant Samuel Asbury, the story of Captain John Sloan, and the stories of the 3rd Mississippi Battalion's battle flag and the flag of the Duncan Riflemen. An extensive bibliography completes the work.