Joseph A. Altsheler wrote 8 volumes of fiction that covered the service of Confederate soldier Harry Kenton and his friends, as well as Union soldier Dick Mason, as they take part in various battles of the Civil War. Altsheler’s books have been historically popular amoung young readers and adults alike. "The Tree of Appomattox" concludes the series of connected romances dealing with the Civil War, begun in "The Guns of Bull Run," and continued successively through "The Guns of Shiloh," "The Scouts of Stonewall," "The Sword of Antietam," "The Star of Gettysburg," "The Rock of Chickamauga" and "The Shades of the Wilderness" to the present volume.