Sarah Steiner came of age and of social consciousness at the outbreak of the Civil War. Correspondence with her friend and eventual husband, CSA Major of artillery Stephen Rogers, kept her aware of the progress and fortunes of the war. Her nascent humanitarianism towards the plight of the slaves was bolstered by the capture of Savannah by General Sherman as he completed his 'march to the sea'. But her struggle was just beginning for the subsequent war, Reconstruction, that was bitter and cataclysmic.