# Colonel Ashley Hampton — Short Fiction character guide

> Colonel Ashley Hampton in Short Fiction by H. Beam Piper.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Colonel Hampton, Dearest

**First appearance:** 0012-dearest

## Who they are

A Confederate colonel turned reluctant patriarch, he guards his library and memories while his heirs circle like vultures, mistaking his invisible companion for madness.

## In the story

### [Dearest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/chapters/dearest)

The elderly protagonist facing a commitment plot by his nephew and niece-in-law; he secretly communicates with an invisible entity he calls 'Dearest.'

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/characters/ashley_hampton
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_24_se/characters