As a young man in Georgia, G. Moxley Sorrel enlisted in a cavalry unit even before the Civil War erupted, so eager was he to serve his home state. During the war, as an aide-de-camp on Brigadier General James Longstreets staff he fought in many battles, including those at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. He was at Longstreets side when Longstreet was struck down in 1864. Sorrels rough jottings from memory provide vivid and detailed descriptions of many of the wars chief participants and events. His military career was cut short when he was shot in the lungs at Hatchers Run. Although he survived, the war ended before he could return to duty. In his declining years he wrote, For my part, when the time comes to cross the river like the others, I shall be found asking at the gates above, Where is the Army of Northern Virginia? For there I make my camp.