Sylvia Melvin

Convictions Sylvia Melvin

Cannons roar. Musket-rifles send bullets whizzing through the air above Alex McPhail's head, but not once does he regret leaving Florida to fight for the preservation of the Union. In dispute with his father over 'States' Rights', he walks away from a life of wealth and privilege. Instead, he meets death, hunger, disease, battle fatigue, and sometimes defeat. His inexperience and idealistic view of life matures as the Civil War drags on and he realizes that whether a man is dressed in a blue uniform or gray, all feel pain when wounded, all show emotions of love and hate, and all want the guns to silence so each can go home. For Alex, his four-year journey is riddled with hills and valleys. Disownment by his father, a disciplined military life-style, the impact of first love, and the loss of a devoted family member each contribute to his belief that every man walks a solitary road. How it ends is a matter of true convictions.