The primary theme of Rifles for Watie is Jefferson Davis Bussey's development from a naive sixteen-year-old into a mature gentleman and soldier. From the beginning of the novel, Jeff possesses the courage needed to challenge the bushwhackers who raid his family's farm, the initiative to travel to Fort Leavenworth and enlist in the Union Army, and the self-confidence to make his own decisions about the people he meets and the issues of the time. Jeff knows nothing about the army, however, and thus his experiences in the Civil War are, above all, enlightening. A foot soldier, an artillery man, a cavalryman, a scout, and accidentally a spy, he excels in each role. Through this experience, he learns that issues and people are much more complex than he has previously believed; not all the Union soldiers win his respect, and he is surprised to discover that he...