Gerry T:
I've gone from sitting for 1/2 hour to 1 hour periods now, doing a breathing meditation.
That's good. Longer meditation periods can greatly assist one in being able to more quickly and efficiently re-train the mind. Two or three of these one hour sessions a day will go a long way to getting you to where you want to be.
Gerry T:
It seems as if the attention has only so much force or ability to stay with the object of the breath. Even if I have resolved myself to sit with no expectations and feel as though I have enough energy to start with to do a good period of meditation.
Yes. That's typical of a beginner's impression. As your practice matures and your overall mindfulness increases, you'll be able to stay with the breath (or any other object) as long as you wish.
Gerry T:
I expect that I should get to some point where my concentration will become strong enough where I won't need any effort to watch the breath.
Yes. That's true. And the mind won't wander, either.
Gerry T:
I feel as if without my attention during the day I am just sort of walking in my sleep and that only during some moments when my attention is "back" am I more "awake".
That's a pretty accurate way to describe it. Increased mindfulness is the antidote. If you read the suttas, the overwhelming emphasis on mindfulness is unmistakable in terms of retraining the mind. Mindfulness is what allows one to become a "better person." Something more in line with whatever ideal you may have in mind.
Mindfulness allows you to notice when the mind is going into one of its automatic reaction patterns, and is the mechanism that allows you to resist unwholesome acts and thoughts. Later on, though, you will need to work on eliminating the unwholesome reaction patterns. And that can be done using the practice of
satipatthana.