Draft of the Prologue from Mohun

Virginia-born novelist John Esten Cooke's papers at the University of Virginia contain this draft prologue from Mohun; or, the Last Days of Lee and his Paladins. The full novel, published in 1869, is one of three novels Cooke wrote about the American Civil War in the decade following the conflict. With an eye on the northern literary market, Cooke mixed imaginative scenes with historical military figures. Although he is recognized as one of the first writers to treat the Civil War in fiction, critics lament that he did not exploit his war experiences to explore the subject in more depth and with more forthrightness.