Emma Green:  The teenage daughter of the richest man in the City of Alexandria and girlfriend of Frank Stringfellow. 
James Green: A prominent entrepreneur who was the wealthiest individual in Alexandria according to the 1860 census. He owned Carlyle House and the Mansion House Hotel, the latter of which was taken over by the Union in the Civil War and used as a hospital. 
Frank Stringfellow: A charming, enterprising young man, and Emma's sweetheart. He married Emma in 1867, after serving as a Confederate spy in the Civil War.   
Politics and elections in Alexandria: Around the time of the Civil War, politics in Alexandria were very different from today, but not always in the ways you might expect. 

Music from the era

A 1914 recording of Stephen  Foster's 1851 composition "Old Folks at Home" (Library of Congress, National Jukebox)
A 2005 recording of "Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway!", Stephen Foster's composition published in 1850 (Library of Congress).
A 1992 recording of Stephen Foster's 1862 composition "Beautiful Dreamer", and its sheet music (Library of Congress) 

Beautiful Dreamer music.jpg
"Beautiful Dreamer music" by Library of Congress - Library of Congress. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.

A 2005 recording of "Hard Times Come Again No More", Stephen Foster's 1854 composition. The song encourages people to consider the plight of the less fortunate, in particular "a pale drooping maiden who toils her life away".