Unsung Heroes win wars, resolve problems, and make improvements in society, but no one really knows who they are. That was certainly the case in the Civil War. Everyone knows that Lincoln and Grant won the war, but they had hundreds upon hundreds of others behind them who made it happen in many ways. General Montgomery Meigs made sure that Union soldiers had the equipment, weapons, and food to fight the war. Gustavus Fox spearheadead the naval effort. Elizabeth Van Lew ran a spy network which provided critical intelligence. Charles Francis Adams's diplomatic efforts kept the British from recognizing the Confederacy. Jay Cooked used his financial and salesmanship wizardry to sell bonds to finance the Union effort.On the other hand, those who supported the Confederacy could point to Ordnance expert General Josiah Gorgas, Bomb-making expert Gilbert Rains, and Admiral Raphael Semmes and his commerce raiders as the men who kept the insurgency afloat longer than it might have.This book also features people who were not necessarily heroes, but who contributed to the welfare of the nation. Sister Anthony led a huge coterie of nuns who acted as nurses in hospitals. George Sharpe created the most efficient intelligence network before the CIA. Abraham Galloway led a black insurgency inside the system and outside the system to highlight the struggle for equality.The book contains essays on 50 people chosen to be representative of behind the scenes actors. They were all essential and the war would have been extremely different without them. Enjoy reading about them and their heroics!