Possum: A Novel of the American Civil War

by William Winter

According to Winter's family folklore, one of his ancestors refused to fight in the Civil War and took refuge in the swamps for the duration. Guided by that oral tradition, and mixing realism, pathos, and flashes of humor, the author sketches a vision of the Civil War rarely seen. Giles Smith (Possum) portrays the ancestor who went to the swamps. He is joined by Cousin Buford, the family atheist, and Uncle Ned and Aunt Dicey, family servants. Buford believes in nothing but family. Ned and Dicey are deeply religious and as dedicated to family as Buford. Having raised Possum, they consider him their own, and he feels, just as strongly, that he belongs to them. Just before the war, seeking his father who had abandoned him, Possum finds Emmy Lu, a beautiful mulatto, in New Orleans and marries her. With the outbreak of the war, he boards a steamboat without her, vowing to return. He signs up to serve in the Mississippi State Guard, but when he is refused an officer's rank, he declares he will not serve. Charged with being a deserter, he flees with some companions to the swamp. He cannot return to Emmy Lu. In his immaculate grays, "The Colonel" wants to hang Possum. In their warm blues, the Union forces want to shoot him. The impartial bushwhackers only want to kill him in whatever way possible. Emmy Lu and Dorcas simply love him and wish him back. William Winter spends his time writing and working on his ranch in Colorado.

212 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

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William Winter was an American dramatic critic and author.