The comic strip "Old Glory at the Crossroads 1861-1865" told the story of the Civil War during its centennial years from January 8, 1961 - June 6, 1965. Published in the Chicago Tribune and its affiliated newspapers, it ran every Sunday in the color comics section.

The series was the work of artist Rick Fletcher and writer Athena Robbins. After collaborating on a number of previous cartoon strips and with the advent of the Civil War centennial in 1961, Fetcher and Robbins started to illustrate the war's history by highlighting, primarily, its military operations. The strip reflected the scope of war's history as understood during the time of its initial publication. Nevertheless, both the main and many small singular events were highlighted demonstrating the thorough research done by Fletcher and Robbins. The strip provides a good synopsis of the war and was published until the end of the Civil War centennial in 1965.

This collection is comprised of the strips removed (not always with the best quality of scissors) from the original newspaper copy. Consequently, the quality of the images and colors reflect their sixty-plus years as printed on newsprint. However, this volume collects all 230 strips and, for the first time, publishes them in chronological order by the dates of their original publication.