Traveller is a historical novel

Novel

A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

 written by Richard Adams

Richard Adams

Richard Adams was a non-conforming English Presbyterian divine, known as author of sermons and other theological writings.-Life:...

 in 1988

1988 in literature

The year 1988 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Margaret Atwood - Cat's Eye*J.G. Ballard - Memories of the Space Age*Iain M...

. It recounts the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 through the viewpoint of Traveller

Traveller (horse)

Traveller was Confederate General Robert E. Lee's most famous horse during the American Civil War.-Birth and war service:...

, the favorite horse

Horse

The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...

 of Confederate

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

  General Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....

.

Plot

Traveller

Traveller (horse)

Traveller was Confederate General Robert E. Lee's most famous horse during the American Civil War.-Birth and war service:...

, the favorite horse of retired Civil War general Robert E. Lee, relates the story of his life and experiences to his feline friend. His narrative, meant to begin early spring of 1866, follows the events of the war as seen through his eyes, from the time he was bought by General Lee in 1862, until Lee's death in 1870.

At the end of the novel, Traveller, with undying faith in Lee, becomes convinced that the Confederate Army

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

 beat the Union

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 and that Lee is now "commander of the country" (versus his actual postbellum role as president of Washington and Lee University

Washington and Lee University

Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...

). And despite marching in Lee's funeral procession, Traveller does not understand that his master has died and will not return to ride again.

Narrative style

The main character, Traveller, relates his life story aloud to his friend. As such the entire narrative is written in a way meant to portray a Southern accent

Southern American English

Southern American English is a group of dialects of the English language spoken throughout the Southern region of the United States, from Southern and Eastern Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf Coast, and from the Atlantic coast to most of Texas and Oklahoma.The Southern dialects make...

, reflecting Traveller's locality.

The events of the war are told only as they might have been interpreted by a horse; with no understanding of politics, Traveller expresses a very naive view of the war and a limited understanding of both human language and motivation.

Major military horses

• Traveller
  Traveller (horse)
  Traveller was Confederate General Robert E. Lee's most famous horse during the American Civil War.-Birth and war service:...
  
  - A gray American Saddlebred
  American Saddlebred
  The American Saddlebred, formerly known as the American Saddle Horse, is a breed of horse that was developed in Kentucky by plantation owners. Today, in the horse show world, they are most commonly seen under saddle in Saddle seat style riding, and in various types of driving, including pleasure...
  
   gelding
  Gelding
  A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
  
   with a dark mane. The narrator of the novel. Originally named Jeff Davis.
• Richmond - An aggressive bay stallion belonging to "Marse Robert" (Robert E. Lee). Died of colic
  Colic
  Colic is a form of pain which starts and stops abruptly. Types include:*Baby colic, a condition, usually in infants, characterized by incessant crying*Renal colic, a pain in the flank, characteristic of kidney stones...
  
  .
• Brown-Roan - Also known as The Roan. A good-natured gelding of Marse Robert's. Had to be retired after going blind
  Blindness
  Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
  
  .
• Little Sorrel - "Cap-in-his-Eye's" horse, also known as Old Sorrel. One of Traveller's closest friends. Sorrel sometimes foresees the future, predicting Cap-in-his-Eye's death shortly before it happens.
• Skylark - "Jine-the-Cavalry's" primary horse. Proud, but friendly.
• Joker - Major Talcott's horse. Usually good-humored and sarcastic.

Minor military horses

• Ajax - A large sorrel gelding given to Marse Roberts after he injures his hands. Rarely used due to his size. Died after Lee's retirement from injuries sustained from a sharp prong on a gate latch.
• Brigand - A large black horse belonging to General Mahone
• Buckthorn - An artillery general's horse
• Champ - "Red Shirt's" horse; Traveller learns of Red Shirt's death from him. After Red Shirt's death, Champ is ridden by Sergeant Tucker.
• Chieftain - "Little General's" horse; dies after his legs are shot out by a Union soldier at the Battle of Gettysburg
  Battle of Gettysburg
  The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
  
  .
• Cincinnati
  Cincinnati (horse)
  Cincinnati was General Ulysses S. Grant's most famous horse during the American Civil War. He was the son of Lexington, the fastest four-mile thoroughbred in the United States and one of the greatest sires. Cincinnati was also the grandson of the great Boston, who sired Lexington.At an early age,...
  
  - A black horse belonging to Union Army
  Union Army
  The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
  
   General
  General
  A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
  
   Ulysses S. Grant
  Ulysses S. Grant
  Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
  
  . Traveller meets him at the surrender at Appomattox, under the assumption that it is the Union Army
  Union Army
  The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
  
   that has surrendered.
• Crockett - An old horse shot and killed in front of Traveller at the Battle of Sayler's Creek
  Battle of Sayler's Creek
  -External links:* * : Maps, histories, photos, and preservation news...
  
  
• Dancer - Captain Wilbourn's horse
• Frigate - A horse that informs Traveller of Old Pete's injuries at the Battle of the Wilderness
  Battle of the Wilderness
  The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
  
  
• Ginger - Colonel Long's horse
• Ivy - A mare
• Leopard - Major Venable's mount
• Lucy Long - A mare purchased as Marse Roberts's backup horse after his hands were injured in an accident.
• Mercury - General Marshall's mount
• Merlin - Sergeant Tucker's mount
• Misty - A gray horse belonging to a gunnery officer
• Rollo - A haughty, bragging stallion belonging to one of Jine-the-Cavalry's men
• Romeo - A black gelding belonging to Ringlets
• Sovereign - Eppa's horse
• Star of the East - Jine-the-Cavalry's secondary mount
• Trumpeter - A chestnut horse belonging to one of Red Shirt's commanders

Other horses

• Bandit - One of Traveller's stablemates during his time with Joe
• Bluebird - Captain White's filly
• Daffodil - A mare
• Emerald - A pretty mare belonging to Judge Cox' wife.
• Flora - Traveller's mother
• Frisky - An old nag
• Monarch - A stallion at Blue Sulphur Springs
• Moonlight - A filly at Blue Sulphur Springs
• Ruby - A mare belonging to Andy
• Ruffian - A gelding at Blue Sulphur Springs; towards the end of the war, Traveller meets Ruffian again, injured and exhausted, having been abandoned by the side of a road. He later learns that Ruffian recovered and was retired to a farm.
• Thunder - Confederate President
  President of the Confederate States of America
  The President of the Confederate States of America was the Head of State and Head of Government of the Confederate States of America, which was formed from the states which declared their secession from the United States, thus precipitating the American Civil War. The only person to hold the...
  
   Jefferson Davis
  Jefferson Davis
  Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
  
  's horse

Other animals

• Tom the Nipper - Miss Life's cat
  Cat
  The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
  
  . Traveller relates his story to Tom through the novel.
• Baxter - Another barn cat at the estate
• Sandy - A goat
  Goat
  The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
  
   sharing the barn with Traveller at Lee's estate
• Dragon and Logan - Two mule
  Mule
  A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
  
  s belonging to a farmer the soldiers meet on a march

Humans

Although based on existing historic figures, most of the humans in the novel are given nicknames by Traveller, by which they are referred for the duration of the book. The following is a list of the human characters' real names and corresponding nicknames, as well as the horse or horses they are usually accompanied by.

Major military men

• "Marse Robert" - General Robert E. Lee
  Robert E. Lee
  Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
  
  . Called "Marse Robert" after Traveller hears a stablehand refer to him as such. His horses are Traveller, Richmond, Brown-Roan, Lucy Long, and Ajax.
• "Cap-in-his-Eyes" - General Stonewall Jackson
  Stonewall Jackson
  ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
  
  . Traveller's name for Jackson comes from his true-to-life habit of wearing his hat pulled low over his face. His horse is Little Sorrel.
• "Jine-the-Cavalry" - General J.E.B. Stuart
  J.E.B. Stuart
  James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use...
  
  . Traveller dubbed him "Jine-the-Cavalry" (a common pronunciation of the military song Join the Cavalry
  Join the Cavalry
  Join the Cavalry was a military song popular during the American Civil War. The verses detail various feats performed by Jeb Stuart's troopers, the cavalry arm of the Army of Northern Virginia, while the chorus urges the listener to "join the cavalry". Occasionally, the title is recorded as "Jine...
  
  ) after the general made the statement several times during their first encounter. His horses are Skylark and Star of the East.
• "Red Shirt" - General A. P. Hill
  A. P. Hill
  Ambrose Powell Hill, Jr. , was a career U.S. Army officer in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars and a Confederate general in the American Civil War...
  
  . His horse is Champ.
• "The Little General"- General Daniel Harvey Hill
  Daniel Harvey Hill
  On July 22, 1862, Hill and Union Maj. Gen. John A. Dix concluded an agreement for the general exchange of prisoners between the Union and Confederate armies. This agreement became known as the Dix-Hill Cartel....
  
  
• "Ringlets" - General George Pickett
  George Pickett
  George Edward Pickett was a career United States Army officer who became a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
  
  . His horse is Romeo.
• "Old Pete" - General James Longstreet
  James Longstreet
  James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
  
  . His horse is Hero.
• "Sweeny" - Joel Sweeney
  Joel Sweeney
  Joel Walker Sweeney , also known as Joe Sweeney, was a musician and early blackface minstrel performer. Born to a farming family in Buckingham County, Virginia, he claimed to have learned to play the banjo from local African-Americans and is the earliest documented white banjo player...
  
  . One of Jine-the-Cavalry's men, known for playing his banjo
  Banjo
  In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
  
  .
• "The Fat General" General Lafayette McLaws
  Lafayette McLaws
  Lafayette McLaws was a United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
  
  . One of Old Pete's commanders.
• "The Bald General" - General Richard S. Ewell
  Richard S. Ewell
  Richard Stoddert Ewell was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E...
  
  
• "The Cussing General" - General Jubal Early
• "Marse Taylor" - Major Walter H. Taylor
  Walter H. Taylor
  Walter Herron Taylor was an American banker, lawyer, soldier, politician, author, and railroad executive from Norfolk, Virginia. During the American Civil War, he was an officer in the Confederate States Army, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel as an aide to General Robert E. Lee...
  
  , Lee's aide-de-camp
• "Vot-you-voz" - Heros von Borcke
  Heros von Borcke
  Johann August Heinrich Heros von Borcke was a German American cavalry officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and in the Prussian Army during the Austro-Prussian War.-Biography:...
  
  . Traveller gives his name as "Bork or Pork or something".
• Captain Joe Broun - Joseph M Broun. The quartermaster of the 3rd Virginia Infantry
  3rd Virginia Infantry
  The 3rd Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia....
  
  . Broun purchased Traveller from Captain Johnston and renamed him Greenbriar. He later sold him to General Lee. His horse is Traveller as Greenbriar.
• Major Talcott - His horse is Joker

Minor military men

• Captain Wilbourn - One of Cap-in-his-Eyes' officers. His horse is Dancer.
• Colonel Long - His horse is Ginger.
• Colonel Marshall - Rides with Lee and the other generals at the surrender at Appomattox
  Battle of Appomattox Courthouse
  The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, was the final engagement of Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia before it surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and one of the last battles of the American...
  
  . His horse is Mercury.
• Colonel Sorrel -
• Eppa - Eppa Hunton
  Eppa Hunton
  Eppa Hunton II was a U.S. Representative and Senator from Virginia and a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.-Early years:...
  
  . One of Ringlets' officers. His horse is Sovereign.
• General Alexander - Edward Porter Alexander
  Edward Porter Alexander
  Edward Porter Alexander was an engineer, an officer in the U.S. Army, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, and later a railroad executive, planter, and author....
  
  . Rides with Lee at the surrender at Appomattox
  Battle of Appomattox Courthouse
  The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, was the final engagement of Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia before it surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and one of the last battles of the American...
  
  .
• General Fitz Lee - Fitzhugh Lee
  Fitzhugh Lee
  Fitzhugh Lee , nephew of Robert E. Lee, was a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, the 40th Governor of Virginia, diplomat, and United States Army general in the Spanish-American War.-Early life:...
  
  , nephew of Robert E. Lee. Rides with Lee at the surrender at Appomattox
  Battle of Appomattox Courthouse
  The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, was the final engagement of Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia before it surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and one of the last battles of the American...
  
  .
• General Gordon - John Brown Gordon
  John Brown Gordon
  John Brown Gordon was one of Robert E. Lee's most trusted Confederate generals during the American Civil War. After the war, he was a strong opponent of Reconstruction and is thought by some to have been the titular leader of the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia during the late 1860s. A member of the...
  
  .
• General Hood - General John Bell Hood
  John Bell Hood
  John Bell Hood was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Hood had a reputation for bravery and aggressiveness that sometimes bordered on recklessness...
  
  
• General Johnston - General Joseph E. Johnston
  Joseph E. Johnston
  Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
  
  
• General McGowan - Samuel McGowan
  Samuel McGowan (general)
  Samuel McGowan was a general from South Carolina in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He commanded a brigade in A.P. Hill's famous "Light Division" and was wounded several times...
  
  
• General Mahone - William Mahone
  William Mahone
  William Mahone was a civil engineer, teacher, soldier, railroad executive, and a member of the Virginia General Assembly and U.S. Congress. Small of stature, he was nicknamed "Little Billy"....
  
  . His horse is Brigand.
• General Pendleton - William N. Pendleton
  William N. Pendleton
  William Nelson Pendleton was an American teacher, Episcopal priest, and soldier. He served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, noted for his position as Gen. Robert E. Lee's chief of artillery for most of the conflict...
  
  , chief of artillery for the Army of Northern Virginia
  Army of Northern Virginia
  The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
  
  .
• General Walker -
• General Wilcox - Cadmus M. Wilcox
  Cadmus M. Wilcox
  Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox was a career United States Army officer who served in the Mexican–American War and also was a Confederate general during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
  
  
• Major Venable - Charles S. Venable
  Charles S. Venable
  Charles Scott Venable was a mathematician, astronomer, and military officer. In mathematics, he is noted for authoring a series of publications as a University of Virginia professor.-Biography:...
  
   Horse: Leopard
• Sergeant Tucker - George W. Tucker. Rides with Lee and the other generals at the surrender at Appomattox
  Battle of Appomattox Courthouse
  The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, was the final engagement of Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia before it surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and one of the last battles of the American...
  
  . His horse is Merlin.

Other humans

• "Miss Life" - Mildred "Precious Life" Childe Lee, youngest daughter of Robert E. Lee.
• "Miss Agnes" - Eleanor Agnes Lee, daughter of Robert E. Lee.
• "Mr. Custis" - George Washington Custis Lee
  George Washington Custis Lee
  George Washington Custis Lee , also known as Custis Lee, was the eldest son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Custis Lee...
  
  , eldest son of Robert E. Lee.
• "Marse Rooney" - William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
  William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
  William Henry Fitzhugh Lee , known as Rooney Lee or W.H.F. Lee, was the second son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Randolph Custis. He was a planter, a Confederate cavalry General in the American Civil War, and later a member of the U.S. Congress.-Early life:Lee was born at Arlington House in...
  
  , second son of Robert E. Lee.

• Jim - Captain James W. Johnston. Traveller's original owner and trainer.
• Andy - Andrew Johnston. Jim's father.
• Zeb - A horse groomer at Blue Sulphur Springs.
• Mr. Senseney - The farrier
  Farrier
  A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves...
  
   at Lee's estate.
• Miss Dab
• Perry and Meredith - Two of General Lee's servants
• Bryan -
• The President - Confederate President
  President of the Confederate States of America
  The President of the Confederate States of America was the Head of State and Head of Government of the Confederate States of America, which was formed from the states which declared their secession from the United States, thus precipitating the American Civil War. The only person to hold the...
  
   Jefferson Davis
  Jefferson Davis
  Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
  
  
• Dave -
• Grace Darling -
• Jennie and Fannie - Two young girls near Lee's estate
• Isaiah -
• Captain White - Horse: Bluebird
• Mr. Turnbull - A man who lets Lee use his property as headquarters
• Judge Meredith - Solomon Meredith
  Solomon Meredith
  Solomon Meredith was a prominent Indiana farmer, politician, and lawman who was a controversial Union Army general in the American Civil War...
  
  
• Judge Cox - A man who allows Lee to rest at his house after the Battle of Sayler's Creek
  Battle of Sayler's Creek
  -External links:* * : Maps, histories, photos, and preservation news...
  
  .