Who is Nate Caudell from The Guns of the South: A Novel of the Civil War and what is their importance?

Nate Caudell is a First Sergeant in the confederate Army. A former teacher, Nate is one of the first men to use the new AK-47. His unit is known as the Castalia Invincibles. Nate was born and raised in Nash County in North Carolina, as are the rest of the soldiers in the Castalia Invincibles. Caudell is impressed with the new gun and as a former teacher, he does a thorough job training his men in its use. After the war, Nate returned to teaching and married Mollie.