1. Throughout the novel, Jeff consistently shows a natural ability to handle animals. He has effortlessly trained Ring and quickly gains the trust of Dixie, Sully, and even General Blunt's notoriously aggressive bulldog. Similarly, he skillfully manages the horses, oxen, and cows he encounters. What does this skill reveal about Jeff's personality? How does Keith's portrayal of this skill prepare the reader for the novel's crisis resolution?

2. What kind of person is Captain Asa Clardy? How does Keith expose the depth of his malicious character? What series of events and background details turn Jeff into his adversary? Is Jeff in any way accountable for the resulting animosity?

3. When Jeff enlists in the Union Army, he is joined by two friends, John Chadwick and David Gardner. In the army, he meets several other young recruits, some of whom are killed or severely injured. These young men have enlisted for various reasons, and they each respond differently to military life and the realities of war. Why does Keith include the contrasting attitudes, experiences, and reactions of Jeff's friends?

4. Jeff undergoes significant changes during the four years of the Civil War. What is his initial attitude towards war when he enlists? How does it evolve after his first battle? What similar transformations occur in his views on army officers, the Union and Confederate ideologies, and the people he first sees as allies and enemies?

5. Wherever Jeff goes, he encounters older, seasoned soldiers who befriend him, such as Mike Dempsey, Noah Babbitt, and Heifer Hobbs; young companions to share his adventures and grievances, including Bill Earle, Jim Bostwick, and Hooley Pogue; and wary adversaries keen to see him fail, particularly Sergeant Sam Fields and Captain Asa Clardy. What do their reactions reveal about Jeff's character and human nature in general?

6. Although Jeff treats nearly everyone with respect, he shows particular courtesy to the women he meets: Mrs. McComas, the women of the Jackman and Washbourne families, and Belle Lisenbee. What does Keith achieve by portraying Jeff as a traditional, old-fashioned gentleman?

7. At the Jackmans' home, Jeff finds that their library includes G.P.R. James's History of Chivalry, two novels by Sir Walter Scott, William Gilmore Simms's Guy Rivers and The Yemassee, and an old edition of Harper's Weekly. What does this collection of reading material, which is fairly typical of pre-Civil War Southern families, reveal about the values and beliefs of the Jackmans and their fellow Confederates?

8. Jeff Bussey finds his name, Jefferson Davis, to be both a benefit and a hindrance. How does it work to his advantage and disadvantage? Jeff explains why his father, a staunch Union supporter, named him after the president of the Confederacy. How does Jeff's name influence his character development? How does it highlight one of Keith's central themes?

9. Noah Babbitt, a real historical person, is one of the most vividly depicted minor characters in the novel. Jeff learns that this wandering printer journeyed from Topeka, Kansas, all the way to Galveston, Texas, simply to witness the magnolias in bloom. In what ways does Noah shape Jeff's perspectives? Why does Keith provide such an elaborate description of him?

10. Critics often commend Keith for his unusually realistic depiction of war. Which scenes contribute to this realism? Besides Jeff's romance with Lucy Washbourne, are there other romantic aspects in the novel? If so, what are they?