Antietam Marble

Antietam Marble is a Southern Gothic novella. It is the second story to feature Alexander Gerard Ulysses, after Devil’s Crossing, though it chronologically takes place first, during the American Civil War. The novel focuses on the futility of war, as well as the protagonist’s conflicted views. The book takes its title from the Battle of Antietam, a large centrepiece to the story, and Marble Man, a nickname for General  Robert E. Lee.

Plot
The story begins on September 16 1862, on the eve of the Battle of Antietam. Following the battle, Ulysses accompanies the retreating Confederates. Befriending a Powhatan simply called 'Red", Ulysses continues to question the futility of the entire war. After Red dies of fever, the Confederates are ambushed by an Union force and Ulysses is separated from the group. Accused of having abandoned his duty, he is pursued by Captain Logan Blackwood across the countryside, and a wild cat-and-mouse chase ensues. Ulysses evades Blackwood and his men, while some are killed trying to cross a ravine after Ulysses.  The novella culminates in a brutal fight between Ulysses and Blackwood, and the doctor sustains a gunshot wound, though he manages to beat Blackwood to death with a rock. Struggling to his feet, Ulysses watches as the sun rises, a blood sun, and recalls Red's parting words: "Good men die, doctor. But they live on, the bad ones do not".

Characters

 * Alexander Gerard Ulysses - the protagonist, a doctor and surgeon from New Orleans, Louisiana. He previously appeared in Devil's Crossing, set nine years after Antietam, and later in The City Care Forgot.
 * Red: An old Powhatan man, who offers wise words and friendship to Ulysses. He is a prisoner of the Confederates, and later dies of a fever, of which partly Ulysses blames himself as he was unable to save his friend.
 * Captain Blackwood: An overzealous Confederate officer, who takes up arms to bring Ulysses to justice for supposed desertion.

Themes
The story contains pervading themes of desolation, the futility of war, and the brutality of violence. Ulysses is portrayed as a flawed character, by his initial acceptance that the Confederates are the right cause, and the savagery he displays when be hunted by Blackwood, considering a "thousand ways to kill him", while he thinks of as many to kill Ulysses.