"During the Civil War, Union soldiers in the Far West frontier faced a dilemma. They were cut off from the main theaters of war, often thought of as shirking their duties, yet they faced unique challenges that their more conventional comrades in arms did not experience. Oregon and California often sheltered Copperheads and Confederate deserters; their foes sometimes included Native Americans; the territories they guarded were poorly defined and sometimes lawless. This is the first primary document collection of soldiers serving in the Pacific Northwest. It consists of letters, most often written anonymously to local newspapers, a series of longer reminiscences by officers in the First Oregon, and some more fragmentary memoirs of officers and soldiers."--Provided by publisher.