The story of Rachel Bowman and Samuel Cormany is based on the diaries they wrote during their courtship in Ohio and their honeymoon visit to Waterloo County, Ontario. After they moved to Samuel’s home near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, they continued writing diaries revealing their experiences during the Civil War. They freely express their feelings for each other.
The story provides information about frontier life in Ohio and in Waterloo County. The diaries also reveal a vivid picture of the Civil War as experienced through Samuel’s involvement as cavalry officer. Rachel’s diary entries describe her responsibility as a war bride raising their daughter Cora in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, which was occupied on two occasions by rebel Confederate forces.