Shenandoah

A rugged, self-reliant patriarch who guards his family above all else. He is devout in his own pragmatic way, rarely crediting God for fortune and particularly grieving his wife's death. His steady leadership anchors the family through wartime chaos while masking a deep emotional wound.

The eldest son who wrestles with duty and family expectations, torn between joining the Confederate cause and honoring his father’s wishes. Loyal to the family legacy, he supports the farm while contemplating his own path in a war-torn world.

One of Charlie’s sons who contributes to the farm’s endurance amid upheaval. He shares in the daily labors and the collective experience of loss that shadows the family.

A younger son with a sense of duty that complicates his loyalty to family and country. His presence highlights the next generation’s stake in the war’s outcome and the temptations of action versus restraint.

Another son who shares in the burden of keeping the farm afloat. His role underscores sibling dynamics, shared toil, and the cost of war on a close-knit family.

A younger son who embodies shifting values and the risks of aligning with a cause that divides the family. He contributes to the farm while navigating the war’s moral ambiguities.

The sixteen-year-old son whose capture and peril illustrate how the war reaches even the farm’s children. His resilience and curiosity propel the family’s emotional journey.

Charlie’s daughter, a stabilizing force at the farm who sustains family bonds and supports her husband through upheaval. She embodies steadfastness and hope in trying times.

Charlie’s daughter-in-law and mother to Martha, who endures labor and loss as raids threaten the homestead. Her presence anchors the family’s care for a newborn amid chaos.

Jennie’s husband, a Confederate officer who enters the family’s life just as turmoil escalates. His arrivals and departures affect the sense of security and the trajectory of relationships within the household.

A Confederate rebel who befriends Boy during an escape, demonstrating wartime alliances formed under pressure. He adds tension and complexity to the frontier moral landscape.

A Union soldier who reconnects with Boy later, illustrating how enemies’ fates intersect and the possibility of mercy amid conflict.

Union commander overseeing prisoner movements and logistics, representing the impersonal machinery of war that nonetheless intersects with personal fates.

The newborn during wartime who becomes a symbol of new life and hope for the family, around whom care and protection coalesce.