Plot

Love story between a man and a woman during the American Civil War, told through actual letters. Ritner, a Union captain from Iowa, was a teacher, farmer and abolitionist before the war. He was devoted to Emeline, and this story tells of his patriotism, loneliness, anguish at the death of loved ones, and slavery. Em raised four small children, managed the family farm and dealt with other women in town. Jacob witnessing death of family and friends, participating in a great adventure, seeing new lands, changing views on the South. Jacob and Emeline's great great grandson, Charles Larimer, also reveals how he found the letters between his parents, and finds the actual graves of the people mentioned in the letters.—Charles F. Larimer

Tremendously moving story of a Union soldier and his wife during the Civil War. Narrated by Brian Dennehy. Based on the book "Love and Valor - Intimate Civil War Letters Between Captain Jacob and Emeline Ritner," which was featured by the Smithsonian in the month after 9/11. Ritner, a Union captain from Iowa, was a teacher, farmer and abolitionist before the war. The movie tells of their devotion to each other, patriotism, loneliness, anguish at the death of loved ones, and slavery. Em raising four small children, managing the family farm, dealing with other women in town. Jacob witnessing death of family and friends, participating in great adventure, seeing new lands, changing views on the South.

The movie is narrated by Tony Award winning actor Brian Dennehy. Jacob and Emelines great great grandson, Charles Larimer, also as a narrator, tells the strange stories about how he found the letters. He tells most of his stories in cemeteries by the actual graves of the people mentioned in the letters. He also tells strange stories on how he found additional information about some of the people featured in the letters, including a young run-away slave whom Jacob Ritner met in Mississippi in 1862 during the Vicksburg campaign, and the Ice Merchant of Savannah who hosted Jacob Ritner for Christmas dinner in 1864 at the end of Shermans March to the Sea.

The Civil War scenes are shown in sepia, while the parallel stories of finding the letters and other important information of the story are done in color.