The book A Year in the South is set in 1865, in the American Civil War. The author Stephen V. Ash retells the stories of four southerners who are Louis Hughes who was a slave, Cornelia MC Donald who was a widow, John Robertson who had been previously conscripted in the army and Samuel Agnew who was a church minister. The book illuminates how the civil war affected the characters by telling their stories which he gathered from their diaries.
The first season which is winter is a recollection of slavery in the American south; it shows the lives of the MC Gehee slaves such as Louis Hughes and others who worked at the state salt works. The slaves had been leased by their master Boss, to work for the plantation and in exchange they got salt.
This book also shows the effect of the Civil War which included the shortage of salt since the rebel army had blocked the ports within which salt was brought into the country. Other effects include the looting of property of the public by the armies both the Union and Yankee armies and leaving the citizens destitute and with no food. The other effect was loss of family and friends those who were conscripted into the army as soldiers who included Angus, Cornelia’s husband.
