The author recounts growing up in a small Southern port where her Northern-born father ran a cotton business and opposed slavery, describing family ties with their enslaved workers and a culturally mixed community. She recalls the town's wartime mobilization after Fort Sumter, coastal defenses, and daily strains under blockade, including shortages, troop movements, and the sight of prisoners bound for Andersonville. Schooling in Columbus, a younger brother's conscription and illness, and the family's difficult decisions about travel and safety recur, framed by vivid river-travel scenes and domestic efforts to support soldiers and sustain community life.