Sketches and Reminiscences (1903)

In 1860 life is good for Hosey Walton, his sweetheart Mamie Prince and his best friend Sam Steele, a free Negro. However within a year their lives are turned upside down beyond comprehension when the greatest American tragedy, the American Civil War, begins. After four long years of fighting, Hosey sits in a fortification outside Richmond near the ruins of his family’s home as he reflects on the war and his love for Mamie. He recalls battles where he lost dear friends and witnessed horrors and destruction that shook him to his very core, and he is sickened by the governments’ inability to settle their differences peacefully. His story, Portrait in Gray, chronicles ideals that are challenged by the realities of life, death, love, hate and the treachery of war. Hosey recounts his reasons for fighting and addresses the issues behind the war that are still worthy of debate.