"The concept of parole may seem naïve today but was widely used during our previous wars with England and Mexico. The names of officers and enlisted men captured on the battlefield, along with their rank and unit, were recorded and each signed an oath not to take up arms against their captors until properly exchanged. Then they simply went home and waited for a notice from their government to return to active duty ... It soon became evident to the...

"Today the literature on Maryland's Civil War is vast and scattered. Given its location surrounding Washington, its unique proportion of enslaved and freeborn African Americans, and its circumstances as the site of significant Civil War battles, the state has always attracted historians. Original documents, in archives throughout the nation and in private collections, tell the story of the conflict, as do a number of secondary sources. This book of...