Michael Taylor is a man whose one focus on life is to woo women, but when his brother Henry signs up as a soldier to fight in the Union Army in the Civil War Michael agrees to accompany him to the recruiting office to say goodbye. It's there Michael's womanizing lands him in trouble and he has the choice of a shotgun wedding which he doesn't want or to sign up alongside his brother and become property of the Union Army. He chooses the later and it's isn't long before Michael and Henry find themselves rushed through boot camp and straight onto the battlefield. As the order to charge comes, Michael's life goes from bad to worse when Henry is killed immediately after the first order to charge is given. Michael then decides to walk away from the fight and through a series of events he could not have imagined he finds himself escaping through the woods wearing of all things a blue dress. And to add to all this he's soon being pursued by a sadistic Lieutenant hunting deserters but not before teaming up with a street smart runaway slave. Blue Dress is a mix of historical fact, family history mixed with humor, and a bit of foreshadowing as to how things have played out since then.