What made the West best, it turns out, is smart dating and solid mating.

“Sometimes Richard would suddenly say, ‘Let’s knock off and go somewhere and fool around!’ The usual place we went was a topless bar in Pasadena, called Gianone’s.”

This last, extraordinarily moving love letter by a Civil War soldier to his wife is a remarkable mix of devotion to loved ones and commitment to principles larger than oneself. It is the very essence of manliness.