A Rose Blooms in Texas: Coming of Age in the Civil War Era by Carlos R. Hamilton (review)

Author Carlos Hamilton Jr. weaves an engaging tale of romance, drama, hardships, and the dangers that came with the secession of Texas from the United States and the war that followed in this piece of historical fiction. The central character of the story, Berta Smith, is a bright, talented and spirited young lady who travels with her family, their slaves, and her piano to a plantation in the piney woods near Crockett, Texas. One of the revelations in the book is how close some of the slaves are to the family and vice versa. The word pictures of the daily interactions of the main characters offer a unique picture of life in East Texas during this tumultuous period. In addition to Berta, readers are introduced to her brother Lucius, her parents Anna Jane and Major John Smith, a young man named John Wootters, and two household slaves, Hannah and her husband Oscar.

Berta, an aspiring pianist, finds herself strongly attracted to Wootters who, like her brother Lucius, is compelled to join the Confederate army. The war and the political issues that caused it were widely debated in the home, at work, and in the newspapers. Although the sentiment in Texas was for secession rather than changes to the institution of slavery, the Smith family felt far removed from the headlines until the young men were called to duty. Rather than get mired in the details of the wartime experiences of Lucius Smith and John Wootters, Hamilton leaves a discussion of each man’s service and the horrors of the battlefield to a rather lengthy appendix. This includes notations in a family Bible, letters, obituaries, official war records, county histories, and a discussion of the bitter political partisanship which led to the war. Not only does this help keep the story moving, but the appendix also serves to put the central characters into their proper social and political context.

After his Confederate service ends prematurely due to injury, Wootters visits the Smith Plantation. Emotionally crushed by the death and destruction that he witnessed in battle, he is comforted by Hannah, the house slave, who tells him it would be good for him to stay close to his fellow soldiers. Her advice becomes part of his transition into a normal life following the war, when he works with other Confederate veterans who were also dealing with disabilities. There are many perspectives on the healing process in this book. Following the war, Berta teaches children (including former slaves) to read and write. Major Smith deeds a home site to Hannah and Oscar in exchange for ongoing services to his wife and daughter. The Smiths also make provisions for their ex-slaves that help them to form a church and school, which play an important role for the newly freed blacks. This is a real gem of a story that all readers can learn from and enjoy.