Jonathan yearns to be a soldier like his older brother so that he, too, can achieve glory by fighting for his country. At age 13, all Jonathan knows about war are the crack of a musket and the stories of battles won. His father, a veteran of battle, understands the harsher realities of war—his injury still bothers him, and his eyes cloud over when his young son asks about the war. While his father presents a more realistic perspective of war early in the novel, Jonathan, wooed by the glorious tales of war, ignores the less heroic perspective presented by his father.

At the tavern, the Corporal impresses him into service; the boy is only too happy to oblige, but within hours Jonathan discovers that war isn’t glorious but a horrific and terrifying experience. Jonathan’s perspective of war as a heroic endeavor is both immediately and gradually dismantled, first by his disorienting experience with battle, and eventually via his interactions with the Hessians.

Jonathan’s views on war shift quickly when he enters battle. The suddenness of the oncoming battle and the quick, impatient shouts from the men around him jangle his nerves.