The history books will always be wrong when discussing the winners and losers of war, There are no winners. This is the case in Pat Carr’s book The Death of a Confederate Colonel. Saranell Birdsong finds her life falling apart one piece at a time, after Ian Birdsong, her father leaves to go fight in the civil war. While she is receiving letters from her Dad about confederate victories, nearby towns are being burned down and fellow neighbors are coming back dead. There are no victors that come from war. Saranell has just received a letter from her father, in the letter Ian Birdsong tells her of his first battle and the confederate victory with only a few casualties. ‘“ That's good news, don't you think?” … “ probably not for the captain,