War rages on, and the wounded pile up – including Blutch, courtesy of Confederate artillery. The Union Army doctors are swamped. In order to address his shortage of healers, General Alexander brings in a quartet of female nurses. But while he did also recruit a foul- tempered ‘matron’ of sorts to discourage anyone more interested in flirting than doing their duty, he may not have planned for the possibility of one of the nurses falling for a certain small, unruly, bald corporal …

A new recruit makes the mistake of asking Blutch to tell him about the infamous battle of Bull Run … in public! The hostility of the other Union soldiers is immediate, yet Blutch eventually explains the reason for it. That battle, the first major one of the war, which had seemed to the North like such an inevitable victory that masses of civilians had gone to watch it as spectators, ended in a complete rout. And Blutch and Chesterfield were there …

Stark’s constant, reckless charging has once again depleted the 22nd Cavalry. Faced with an understandable dearth of volunteers, the Army’s brass drafts – without telling them – some freshly arrived immigrants. And Blutch and Chesterfield are tasked with instructing them in the art of riding down the enemy. But there’s a problem: the new recruits only speak Russian! And while those Cossacks are already fantastic riders, they have no desire to die for the glory of the Union...

After a series of bloody battles, the 22nd Cavalry is once again depleted. Sent on a recruiting drive, Chesterfield meets only failure – between the reputation of their unit and Blutch’s constant sabotage efforts, finding volunteers is almost impossible. Until fate brings them to a penitentiary where some very unsavoury characters are about to hang. Offered a choice, the criminals will pick the uniform over the noose, but can they be controlled?

After another long day of charging, Blutch and Chesterfield make the acquaintance of Matthew Brady, a professional photographer dispatched by President Lincoln to document the ongoing historic struggle. Photography, still a new invention, together with Brady’s talent for capturing the moment, are met with great enthusiasm by both the rank and file and the top brass. Inevitably, it’s not long before Blutch and Chesterfield are ordered to act as the artist’s protective detail – much to the s...

Sent to scout the enemy, Blutch and Chesterfield are chased by a Confederate patrol and forced to cross the Rio Grande to safety. But that safety is relative: stuck between Apache bandits and Mexican outlaws, our two Bluecoats have no choice but to disguise themselves as civilians – Blutch as a peasant, Chesterfield as a monk. But the nearby village is eagerly awaiting its new ‘padre’, and the villagers aren’t fooled by the deception...