War Letters Collector on the Individual Cost of Battle

"We as civilians—who elect certain leaders and rally behind a war—have an obligation to understand what we're asking [the troops to give up] and I hope that these letters do that," says Andrew Carroll, a Washington, D.C., based historian. Carroll has devoted the past 16 years to collecting and preserving war correspondences throughout American history.

Carroll sat down with Reason TV to reveal the importance of his project and how he hopes it shapes America's attitude toward war in the future.