Ballads of the Bellum is a story that follows a fictional character, Jeremy James, through four long years of Civil War combat. Forfeiting his life at home with his wife and four children in South Carolina, he chooses to join the Confederacy hoping to free the South from Northern oppression. Readers will experience his heartbreaks at the loss of comrades in combat, his triumphs over personal enemies, and his struggles to determine what is right and what is wrong. The factual information about the battles, the generals, and the setting itself is enlightening for the novice as well as for the Civil War addict. This story is filled with suspense and surprises, laughter and tears, heartfelt compassion and heartless cruelty. The reader may even find a little spiritual redemption.