The Guns of the South characters

Appears from the start

Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in 1864. Respected by his soldiers and burdened by their shortages, he cautiously accepts an offer of advanced repeating rifles while trying to understand the strangers who possess them.

Appears from the start

A first sergeant in the 47th North Carolina Infantry and an experienced Confederate soldier. Practical, observant, and close to the enlisted men's hardships, he becomes one of the first troops trained to use the new rifles supplied from Rivington.

Appears from the start

The leader of the mysterious men based at Rivington, North Carolina. He offers Lee large numbers of AK-47 rifles, ammunition, medicine, and intelligence, claiming that his organization is committed to securing Confederate independence.

First appears in chapter 3

A young Confederate soldier serving under a male identity. Capable and determined to remain with the army, Mollie guards the fact that she is a woman in an institution that would otherwise send her away.

Appears from the start

Lee's trusted adjutant, responsible for turning the general's decisions into orders and managing the flow of military business at headquarters. He shares Lee's wary attention to the Rivington men's unusual equipment and behavior.

First appears in chapter 2

President of the Confederate States, determined to preserve the country's independence and its political order. He must decide how far the government can rely on Rivington's aid and how the new weapons alter relations with Lee and the army.

First appears in chapter 3

Commander of the principal Union army opposing Lee. He brings superior numbers and relentless pressure to the 1864 campaign, only to encounter Confederate infantry equipped with weapons far beyond the period's normal technology.

First appears in chapter 7

President of the United States, committed to preserving the Union and ending the rebellion. Confederate battlefield success forces him to weigh continued war against mounting casualties and declining political support.

First appears in chapter 9

A Confederate cavalry commander whose military reputation and uncompromising defense of the existing racial order give him influence in the new country's politics.

Appears from the start

One of Lee's senior corps commanders, valued for steadiness and battlefield judgment. He helps translate the new rifle's firepower into Confederate victories while remaining part of Lee's inner military circle.