1.    How do you think Robert felt when his mother refused to come home?  

2.    Robert said, “I knew that reading it (the Bible) was a path to life, and that you never reach a thing without setting your feet straight and walking toward it.”  Do you agree or disagree?  Why?

3.    Why do you think Mr. Heath sent food, blankets, clothes and spirits to a Confederate prisoner who’d fought to preserve slavery and divide the Union?  Do we have opportunities to do comparable things?

4.    Several people or groups of people used Robert to accomplish their purposes:  Gen. Schoepf, the Maynards, Cousin Albert,  Sgt. McCain.  Were their actions justified in time of war?  Why or why not?

5.    There have been many instances in history when young men and/or women have been prejudged (positively as well as negatively) based on being in or out of uniform.  Can you name some of those times in the book?  In other history?  Discuss.

6.    Do you think Albert’s decision to impersonate a private and stay with his men was wise or foolish?

7.     Prisoners at Fort Delaware as well as other military prisons, north and south, suffered greatly during the war from poor and/or little food, contaminated water, poor sanitation, cold, heat, disease, battle wounds, a shortage of medical supplies and personnel.  In some cases available relief was denied prisoners, such as the time the private was ordered to search (in this case pilfer) Robert’s bundle for Albert.  Do you think such conduct toward prisoners is justified?  Why or why not?

8.    Discuss Wooster’s decision to help Robert get to North Carolina. 

9.    Chap. Goforth and Katie Frances had both been involved in Underground Railroad activities before the war and therefore must have hoped for an end to slavery.  Why would Katie Frances have chosen to nurse in a Confederate field hospital rather than a Union hospital?  Why did Rev. Goforth choose to minister for the Confederacy?  What do you think of their choices and/or reasoning.

10. 10.   Chap. Goforth challenged Robert to serve where he is called by God rather than to assume that God has chosen sides in the war.  What opportunities and challenges do you see in time of war to do that?
    

11.     As Wooster and Robert sat, tied, waiting for the morning and probable execution, Robert stared into the watchfires.  He remembered the words from the Battle Hymn of the Republic, “I have seen Him in the watchfires of a hundred circling camps.”  Robert wondered if he could no longer see God in this war, as he’d originally thought he could, did that mean that God could not see him?  What do you think?

12.    Troops and civilians from both the north and south claimed that God was on their side.  Do you think God chooses sides in war?  How can we honor God in war? 

13.    Why do you think attending the Christmas Eve Moravian candlelight love feast in Salem meant so much to Wooster?  Is there a service or place that draws you with such magnetism?  Explain.

14.    Old George and Rebecca were still slaves, and yet they helped Robert at great personal risk.  Why?

15.    Why do you think Noah and Mamee stayed at Mitchell House when they could have gone free?  Why do you think they kept Caroline’s secrets?

16.    What do you think made Emily strong and able to cope with so much at her age?  Imagine yourself in her shoes.  How do you think you would react to the challenges she faced?

17.    It was only when Robert heard his own shrill demands that he realized he was treating God as his mother treated slaves.  He realized that he was demanding to be in control.  There are times when we all, like Robert, fight to control our lives and sometimes even the lives of others.  What did Robert learn about fighting and surrender?  Did surrendering mean quitting?  Did it mean freedom?  Partnership?  Safety?  What does it mean to you?

18.    What role did the Scriptures Robert had learned in childhood play in the surrender of his life and agendas to the Lord?  In giving him hope and reassurance?  In what way did Scripture build him into a soldier for Christ?  Is there a Scripture that has impacted your life?

19.    How did Robert’s relationship with Emily, Ruby, and his mother change after He’d given his life to the Lord? 

20.    In her old age what gift did Nanny Sara give Robert and the rest of the “family?”

21.    Robert saw God as warring against sin and fighting for our eternity.  Do you see God that way?

22.    How did Wooster help Robert through his grief?  Has anyone ever walked with you through a dark valley in your life?

23.    What do you think Robert learned from this chapter in his life?  What do you take away from this book?