Preface

I was brought up by two very different grandmothers. One from the North and one from the South. Although both were born some thirty odd years after the CIVIL WAR, both had stories to tell of their families' participation in the War. The Northern family made canteens and woolen uniforms for the Union Army and the Southerner had a small walnut tree plantation in Virginia that was serviced by seventeen slaves. Sheridan burned and looted this family nest. My Northern grandmother's family went broke after the war as the need for woolen fabric decreased and cotton again became available. So, in a sense, both sides destroyed each other.

The following story borrows more from fiction than from fact. Although the CIVIL WAR has many recorded facts, I have at times been unable to say for certain what is true or what has been enlarged upon for partisan reasons. For example, I have a photograph of the COMPANY K, 4TH REGIMENT GEORGIA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY (SUMTER LIGHT GUARDS) from the Georgia Department of Archives and History taken the day after the Union fort surrendered. In the middle of the ranks of troops is a non-commissioned officer who is an African-American. To me this was incredible because it did not match what I had read previously. I have debated whether this photograph was an early attempt at propaganda or whether this man was willingly in the service of the Confederacy. Although the picture is a fact, what were his reasons?

A fictional work often gives us insight into the many sides and other aspects of otherwise standard interpretations. In these excerpts from my book I hope you can find some truths in my myths.

So what's the book about?

So who's this guy?

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