In this latest and inspiring tale of Nathaniel Starbuck's adventures during the American Civil War, Nat is given command of a penal battalion: a motley crew of cowards, thieves, deserters and murderers. About to join General Robert E. Lee's army, Starbuck's soldiers reach Harpers Ferry just in time to take part in Stonewall Jackson's capture of the Union garrison. From there the regiment would be led straight into the nightmare of the Battle of Sharpsburg, on Antietam Creek, which will forever be remembered as the bloodiest day of the war. There, the courage and sense of duty of Starbuck and his soldiers will be tested as never before.