Asking For Help Again

Where my literary dawgs at?!

Y'all helped me the last time, when I was looking for a movie, and gave you just a small description of the opening credits. Now let's see what you do with a description of a novel I read a couple of years ago.

It starts off just after the Civil War. Two fellow ex-soldiers are bumming around the south and run into an elephant and its trainer from a defunct circus. They then decide to open their own circus. The story goes on about the trials and travails of nomadic circus life for several years. It's an amazing book, albeit somewhat dark and disturbing.

For the life of me, I cannot remember the title or the author. I'm depending on y'all, the intelligentsia of the bloggy-sphere, 'cause I've racked my brain to no avail.

Any and all help would be appreciated.

Walrilla


UPDATE: See, this is why I love y'all. I posted this about 1:30 pm. By 3:15 pm, I already had my answer from this lovely lady, and by 03:30 pm, somebody else was already sayin' they had read it and others by the same author. I actually remember reading Aztec, too. I'm gonna keep looking until I find something obscure enough to stump y'all.