Philip LeVal was Paul LeVal's father. When he caught wind of his son's insubordinate attitude in the CSA army, he wrote to Jacob Wallace, Paul's commanding officer, to request that his son be sent to a command with greater discipline. Paul thus ended up under Colonel Jubal Eustace, a cruel officer tasked with catching runaway slaves. Eustace, it was hoped, would instil discipline in the younger LeVal. This never completely worked, because Paul never accepted the necessity of slavery. (PROSE: Blood and Hope)