I reallllly wanted to love this but found it hard to get through. I'm happy to have come across it though!

Absalom H. Markland, special agent of the United States Post Office, was an unsung hero of the Civil War. Although he was not a member of the military, he followed soldiers from battlefield to battlefield and delivered mail, which contributed greatly to morale. His contributions also are felt today as he developed the infrastructure of today's U.S. military mail service. After the war, he advocated for civil rights. And Mr. Markland was a friend of General Grant, Abraham Lincoln (also a postmaster) and other greats. This book tells his story and weaves in details of the war and its major players.
I read in awe of Mr. Markland's tireless energy. Indeed, he possessed an independent, restless spirit that made him a perfect candidate for this job. It required travel, organization and decisiveness and ensured adventure.
While the author has done extensive research, all the details tended to bog down the story. In places, this book reads more like a textbook.
Also, the author makes several suppositions and imposes her opinion on issues. For example, "No doubt he was disappointed not to be made a brevet brigadier general— who wouldn’t be?"
I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about a man who deserves more credit for his work.

I have received an advance reader copy of this book from Netgalley. I thought that this book was very interesting and I learned a lot, but I probably would have gotten a little more out of it had I known more about the Civil War. All of the information about the postal service was very interesting to me, but a lot of the interactions with historical figures made this a little hard for me to follow sometimes.