Title: Eighty years after
Description: Written for his family, this autobiography details the author's experiences growing up in one of Virginia's first families, as a young Confederate soldier at the end of the Civil War, and as an engineer in West Virginia. Interesting and poignant reflections abound, many of which may challenge readers' assumptions. One of my favorites is his story of walking home to the Farmville, Virginia area after surrendering at Appomattox; Venable encounters a Union soldier who kindly shares his meal with the hungry teenager.