In 1860, the roiling conflict over slavery swept the United States into a war between diehard factions. Several states in the South declared they were no longer part of the Union. On April 12, 1861, Confederate partisans attacked the small Federal force holding Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston harbor. Newly elected President Lincoln raised an army to put down the rebellion. Many veteran officers rose up on both sides to lead the ensuing fight. The burden of the war fell on ordinary Americans. This is a story of the unsung who marched, fought, suffered, loved and survived the war that would come to define the United States of America. The Cauldron tells the story of ordinary people caught in the chaos of the American Civil War. It follows Tom Donal, his brother John, their regiment, and the circle of people around them. Through battles, camps, love affairs, spying, and survival, author Joe Clark blends fact with fiction to paint a vivid picture of how war stripped life to its bare bones. The narrative swings from large-scale strategy and politics to intimate personal struggles, giving both the sweeping sense of history and the raw, ground-level feel of living through it.