Rifles for Watie

“Jeff frowned. He wished the Missouri bushwhackers would live by the rule Mr. Lincoln had laid down in his speech at Leavenworth. […] But neither side had heeded Lincoln’s gentle advice.”

Before joining the war, Jeff considers Abraham Lincoln’s suggestion to the citizens of the United States, which was to remain united and look past each other’s differences on slavery—to “drop past differences and so conduct yourselves that if you cannot be at peace with them, the fault shall be wholly theirs” (19). Considering his father’s commitment to abolishing slavery, it is surprising that Jeff feels this way. However, the rest of the novel presents a very gentle view of slavery. There are some slaves who express a desire for freedom, but none of them bring up the brutality of slavery.

“‘I’m eighteen year old now an’ I want to see the world. I’m agoin!’”

Like Jeff, John Chadwick is looking for adventure. Although his time in the war will certainly provide adventure, this sentiment is a symptom of the way that war has been valorized and romanticized for young men like Chadwick and Jeff.

“‘You’re not old enough to go to war. You’ll git killed an’ we’ll find your bones bleachin’ on the prairie.’”

Bobby Gardner’s words of warning to his older brother embarrass David rather than unsettling him. What Bobby is expressing is a true statement about war, and given his youth, are probably offering insight into the kinds of things Mrs. Gardner have been saying to her son to convince him not to enlist. While Gardner survives, he barely makes it past training.