1. The novella says General McDowell was dismissed from his post after the battle. Fleischman seems to imply that the disaster at Bull Run was the reason. Was it really? What were the real-life reasons for his dismissal? Bull Run presents him sympathetically. Did he get a raw deal?

2. The book hints that Lincoln and other politicians pushed for an early military resolution to the conflict between the Union and the Confederacy.

What did Lincoln do before the battle that might have affected it? Did he make any mistakes?

3. What pressures were brought to bear on Lincoln to push the war forward? How did he react?

4. Jefferson Davis was under many pressures himself. How did he press the war toward the Battle of Bull Run?

5. There was a second battle, later in the war, at Bull Run. What happened to bring...