The Fighting Ground

“Jonathan dreamed of one day taking up a gun himself and fighting the enemy. For he had heard his father and his father’s friends talk many times about the tyrannical British; their cruel mercenary allies, the German-speaking Hessians; and the hated Tories, those American traitors who had sided with the brutal English king. But Jonathan’s father no longer spoke of war. During the past winter he had fought near Philadelphia and been wounded in the leg. It was painful for him to walk, and Jonathan was needed at home. Though Jonathan kept asking questions about the battle, his father only shook his head, while his eyes grew clouded. Still, Jonathan could dream.”

Jonathan’s brother and cousin have already joined the fight, and the 13-year-old aches to be a soldier, but his father seems to know that this might be the wrong choice for his younger son. He has seen things no young boy, or perhaps anyone, should see. It’s hard, though, to explain such things to young men who yearn for glory and must learn for themselves the awful truth about war. Here we learn the premise of the story’s conflict and the characters involved in it, but we also witness the impact of that conflict in the character of Jonathan’s father. While he cannot discuss the cruelties he witnesses, his silence speaks volumes to readers, who also recognize the naivete of his young son.

“And hadn’t Jonathan talked with his friends of war, battles old and new, strategies fit for major generals? And, having fought their wars, they had always won their glory, hadn’t they?” 

Jonathan holds a romanticized image of warfare—all greatness and no bloodshed. It hasn’t yet occurred to him and his friends that, where there’s a victor, there’s also a loser. He has no inkling of the blood, agony, fear, and shame that lie in wait for him in war.

“It was spring, and warm, and wonderful ripe for war.” 

Dreams of being a soldier surge through Jonathan’s mind as he runs to the tavern to learn of any war news. The tavern