In his stable, Traveller, the favorite horse of retired Civil War general Robert E. Lee, relates the story of his life and experiences to his feline friend Tom. His narrative, meant to begin in the early spring of 1866, follows the events of the war as seen through a horse's 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, remains convinced that the Confederate Army beat the Union and that Lee is now "commander of the country" (versus his actual postbellum role as president of Washington University). Despite being led 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 Tom, a cat with whom he shares the barn. As such the entire narrative is written in a way meant to portray a Southern accent, reflecting Traveller's locality. The events of the war are told from the horse's point of view.
Richmond – An aggressive bay stallion belonging to "Marse Robert" (Robert E. Lee). Died of colic.
Brown-Roan – Also known as The Roan. A good-natured gelding of Marse Robert's. Had to be retired after going blind.
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.
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.
Tom the Nipper – Miss Life's cat. Traveller relates his story to Tom through the novel.
Baxter – Another barn cat at the estate
Sandy – A goat sharing the barn with Traveller at Lee's estate
Dragon and Logan – Two mules 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. The following is a list of the human characters' real names and corresponding nicknames, as well as the horse or horses that usually accompany them.
Major military men
"Marse Robert" – General Robert E. Lee. 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. 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. Traveller dubbed him "Jine-the-Cavalry" (a common pronunciation of the military song Join the Cavalry) 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. His horse is Champ.
"Vot-you-voz" – Heros von Borcke. Traveller gives his name as "Bork or Pork or something".
Captain Joe Broun – Joseph M Broun. The quartermaster of the 3rd Virginia Infantry. 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 – Charles Marshall, Lee's military secretary. Rides with Lee and the other generals at the surrender at Appomattox. His horse is Mercury.
