Crittenden
tells the story of Clay Crittenden, a white Southerner initially tormented by memories of the Civil War and Reconstruction. At first, Critttenden, who is convinced that black citizenship will end in a race war, finds the sight of colored troops on their way to Cuba both repugnant and threatening. But after serving in Cuba alongside Northerners and accompanied by his family's servant, the ex-slave, "faithgul Bob," Crittenden aspires to be, "an American now, not a Southerner," and to look beyond regional and racial prejudices (Shadowing The White Man's Burden).