The Final Furlough , a book by John M. Wilson, is a collection of short stories aimed at a variety of readers. Nine historical fiction Civil War stories are based on incidents during that war, expanded by imagined details and conversations. The stories describe the impact on individuals by the war that killed more Americans than our other wars combined. Period photographs by Matthew Brady are included. Most of the eleven non-Civil War stories are based on actual occurrences and most involve the out of doors, camping, hiking, and the East Tennessee mountains. Original sketches by Steve Baker illustrate the modern stories.