But wasn’t life like that? A powerful nation will always hunger for more power. And they will always find men like himself—starving wretches, so far from home and country and desperate to do right by their families—to do the dirty work.
-- Narrator (Chapter 6)

Importance: Riley recognizes his role as a pawn in the Yankee army. He understands that he is nothing more than an Irish soldier to his superiors: disposable and contemptible. Nevertheless, Riley consents to do whatever “dirty work” that will keep his family fed, illustrating his priorities and motivations early on in the novel (57).

He’d crossed an ocean then to cast his lot on this side of the Atlantic. In Canada, he’d not found what he was looking for, and he’d crossed a lake to search for opportunities in Michigan. Now, he had crossed a river, and the dreams were still there, just beyond his...
-- Narrator (Chapter 7)