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Civil War Stories
Newspaperman, short-story writer, poet, and satirist, Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914) is one of the most striking and unusual literary figures America has produced. Dubbed "Bitter Bierce" for his vitriolic wit and biting satire, his fame rests largely on a celebrated compilation of barbed epigrams, The Devil's Dictionary, and a book of short stories (Tales of Soldiers and Civilians, 1891). Most of the 16 selections in this volume have been taken from the latter collection.
The stories in this edition include: "What I Saw at Shiloh," "A Son of the Gods," "Four Days in Dixie," "One of the Missing," "A Horseman in the Sky," "The Coup de Grace," "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," "The Story of Conscience," "One Kind of Officer," "Chickamauga," and five more.
Bierce's stories employ a buildup of suggestive realistic detail to produce grim and vivid tales often disturbing in their mood of fatalism and impending calamity. Hauntingly suggestive, they offer excellent examples of the author's dark pessimism and storytelling power.
--back cover
Contents:
1 What I Saw of Shiloh
2 Four Days in Dixie
3 A Horseman in the Sky
4 An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
5 Chickamauga
6 A Son of the Gods
7 One of the Missing
8 Killed at Resaca
9 The Affair at Coulter's Notch
10 The Coup de Grâce
11 Parker Adderson, Philosopher
12 An Affair of Outposts
13 The Story of a Conscience
14 One Kind of Officer
15 George Thurston
16 The Mocking-bird
The stories in this edition include: "What I Saw at Shiloh," "A Son of the Gods," "Four Days in Dixie," "One of the Missing," "A Horseman in the Sky," "The Coup de Grace," "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," "The Story of Conscience," "One Kind of Officer," "Chickamauga," and five more.
Bierce's stories employ a buildup of suggestive realistic detail to produce grim and vivid tales often disturbing in their mood of fatalism and impending calamity. Hauntingly suggestive, they offer excellent examples of the author's dark pessimism and storytelling power.
--back cover
Contents:
1 What I Saw of Shiloh
2 Four Days in Dixie
3 A Horseman in the Sky
4 An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
5 Chickamauga
6 A Son of the Gods
7 One of the Missing
8 Killed at Resaca
9 The Affair at Coulter's Notch
10 The Coup de Grâce
11 Parker Adderson, Philosopher
12 An Affair of Outposts
13 The Story of a Conscience
14 One Kind of Officer
15 George Thurston
16 The Mocking-bird
127 pages, Paperback
First published January 25, 1956
335 people are currently reading
2477 people want to read
About the author
Ambrose Bierce
2,409 books1,296 followersdied perhaps 1914
Caustic wit and a strong sense of horror mark works, including In the Midst of Life (1891-1892) and The Devil's Dictionary (1906), of American writer Ambrose Gwinett Bierce.
People today best know this editorialist, journalist, and fabulist for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his lexicon.
The informative sardonic view of human nature alongside his vehemence as a critic with his motto, "nothing matters," earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."
People knew Bierce despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, to encourage younger poet George Sterling and fiction author W.C. Morrow.
Bierce employed a distinctive style especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events.
Bierce disappeared in December 1913 at the age of 71 years. People think that he traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on ongoing revolution of that country.
Theories abound on a mystery, ultimate fate of Bierce. He in one of his final letters stated: "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico--ah, that is euthanasia!"
Caustic wit and a strong sense of horror mark works, including In the Midst of Life (1891-1892) and The Devil's Dictionary (1906), of American writer Ambrose Gwinett Bierce.
People today best know this editorialist, journalist, and fabulist for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his lexicon.
The informative sardonic view of human nature alongside his vehemence as a critic with his motto, "nothing matters," earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."
People knew Bierce despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, to encourage younger poet George Sterling and fiction author W.C. Morrow.
Bierce employed a distinctive style especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events.
Bierce disappeared in December 1913 at the age of 71 years. People think that he traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on ongoing revolution of that country.
Theories abound on a mystery, ultimate fate of Bierce. He in one of his final letters stated: "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico--ah, that is euthanasia!"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
October 8, 2024
Good God!
A collection by Ambrose Bierce, master of classical war and ghost stories. The man certainly knows how deliver the killer blow sometimes, with some outstandingly mind blowing endings not likely to ever forget; moderately easy to read most of the time, yet not always easy to follow.
These stories accurately depict the various grotesqueries of human warring nature, and although all of them ambienced during the American Civil War, these short stories can be read rather universally. Despite de occasional name dropping, locale, union vs confederacy and north vs south references, these stories felt as they could’ve happened in any given war conflict; which speaks very well of its universality, and not so well of its specificity, if you happen to be interested in learning about that particular period of time.
Go for the Best, consider the Good, whatever the Meh.
The Best :
★★★★☆ “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” [3.5]
★★★★☆ “Killed at Resaca.” [3.5]
★★★★☆ “A Horseman in the Sky.” [3.5]
★★★★☆ “Chickamauga.” [3.5]
The Good :
★★★☆☆ “The Story of a Conscience.” [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “The Affair at Coulter’s Notch.” [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “The Mocking-bird.”
★★★☆☆ “A Tough Tussle.”
The Meh :
★★☆☆☆ “One of the Missing.” [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ “Four Days in Dixie.”
★★☆☆☆ “Parker Adderson, Philosopher.”
★★☆☆☆ “The Coup de Grace.”
★☆☆☆☆ “A Son of the Gods.” [1.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “An Affair of Outposts.” [1.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “One Kind of Officer.” [1.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “George Thurston - Three Incidents.”
★☆☆☆☆ “What I Saw of Shiloh.” [0.5]
It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1956] [127p] [Collection] [2.5] [Partly Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ The Damned Thing.
★★★★☆ An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ Un Habitante de Carcosa y otros Relatos de Terror.
★★★☆☆ Civil War Stories. <-- [2.5]
-----------------------------------------------
¡Dios Santo!
Una colección por Ambrose Bierce, maestro de historias clásicas de guerra y fantasmas. El hombre ciertamente sabe cómo entregar ese golpe final a veces, con algunos de esos asombrosamente desconcertantes finales que no se olvidan fácilmente; moderadamente fácil de leer la mayoría del tiempo, aunque no siempre fácil de seguir.
Estos cuentos cortos representan acertadamente ese grotesco lado de la naturaleza humana que está siempre en guerra, y aunque todos ambientados durante la Guerra Civil Norteamericana, estas historias se pueden leer bastante universalmente. A pesar del ocasional nombre, locación, y referencias unión versus confederación y norte versus sur, estas historias se sienten como si pudieran haber sucedido en cualquier conflicto armado; lo que habla muy bien de su universalidad, y no tan bien de su especificidad, si es que por casualidad te interesa aprender sobre ese particular período de tiempo.
Ir por lo Mejor, considerar lo Bueno, loquesea lo Meh.
Lo Mejor :
★★★★☆ “El Puente sobre el Río del Búho.” [3.5]
★★★★☆ “Asesinado en Resaca.” [3.5]
★★★★☆ “Un Jinete por el Cielo.” [3.5]
★★★★☆ “Chickamauga.” [3.5]
Lo Bueno :
★★★☆☆ “La Historia de la Consciencia.” [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “El caso del Portillo de Coulter.” [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “El Sinsonte.”
★★★☆☆ “Una Dura Pelea.”
Lo Meh :
★★☆☆☆ “Uno de los Desaparecidos.” [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ “Cuatro Días en Dixie.”
★★☆☆☆ “Parker Adderson, filósofo.”
★★☆☆☆ “El Golpe de Gracia.”
★☆☆☆☆ “Un Hijo de los Dioses.” [1.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “Un Asunto de Puestos.” [1.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “Una Especie de Oficial.” [1.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “George Thurston – Tres Incidentes.”
★☆☆☆☆ “Lo que vi de Shiloh.” [0.5]
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1956] [127p] [Colección] [2.5] [Parcialmente Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
A collection by Ambrose Bierce, master of classical war and ghost stories. The man certainly knows how deliver the killer blow sometimes, with some outstandingly mind blowing endings not likely to ever forget; moderately easy to read most of the time, yet not always easy to follow.
These stories accurately depict the various grotesqueries of human warring nature, and although all of them ambienced during the American Civil War, these short stories can be read rather universally. Despite de occasional name dropping, locale, union vs confederacy and north vs south references, these stories felt as they could’ve happened in any given war conflict; which speaks very well of its universality, and not so well of its specificity, if you happen to be interested in learning about that particular period of time.
Go for the Best, consider the Good, whatever the Meh.
The Best :
★★★★☆ “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” [3.5]
★★★★☆ “Killed at Resaca.” [3.5]
★★★★☆ “A Horseman in the Sky.” [3.5]
★★★★☆ “Chickamauga.” [3.5]
The Good :
★★★☆☆ “The Story of a Conscience.” [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “The Affair at Coulter’s Notch.” [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “The Mocking-bird.”
★★★☆☆ “A Tough Tussle.”
The Meh :
★★☆☆☆ “One of the Missing.” [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ “Four Days in Dixie.”
★★☆☆☆ “Parker Adderson, Philosopher.”
★★☆☆☆ “The Coup de Grace.”
★☆☆☆☆ “A Son of the Gods.” [1.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “An Affair of Outposts.” [1.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “One Kind of Officer.” [1.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “George Thurston - Three Incidents.”
★☆☆☆☆ “What I Saw of Shiloh.” [0.5]
It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1956] [127p] [Collection] [2.5] [Partly Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ The Damned Thing.
★★★★☆ An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ Un Habitante de Carcosa y otros Relatos de Terror.
★★★☆☆ Civil War Stories. <-- [2.5]
-----------------------------------------------
¡Dios Santo!
Una colección por Ambrose Bierce, maestro de historias clásicas de guerra y fantasmas. El hombre ciertamente sabe cómo entregar ese golpe final a veces, con algunos de esos asombrosamente desconcertantes finales que no se olvidan fácilmente; moderadamente fácil de leer la mayoría del tiempo, aunque no siempre fácil de seguir.
Estos cuentos cortos representan acertadamente ese grotesco lado de la naturaleza humana que está siempre en guerra, y aunque todos ambientados durante la Guerra Civil Norteamericana, estas historias se pueden leer bastante universalmente. A pesar del ocasional nombre, locación, y referencias unión versus confederación y norte versus sur, estas historias se sienten como si pudieran haber sucedido en cualquier conflicto armado; lo que habla muy bien de su universalidad, y no tan bien de su especificidad, si es que por casualidad te interesa aprender sobre ese particular período de tiempo.
Ir por lo Mejor, considerar lo Bueno, loquesea lo Meh.
Lo Mejor :
★★★★☆ “El Puente sobre el Río del Búho.” [3.5]
★★★★☆ “Asesinado en Resaca.” [3.5]
★★★★☆ “Un Jinete por el Cielo.” [3.5]
★★★★☆ “Chickamauga.” [3.5]
Lo Bueno :
★★★☆☆ “La Historia de la Consciencia.” [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “El caso del Portillo de Coulter.” [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “El Sinsonte.”
★★★☆☆ “Una Dura Pelea.”
Lo Meh :
★★☆☆☆ “Uno de los Desaparecidos.” [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ “Cuatro Días en Dixie.”
★★☆☆☆ “Parker Adderson, filósofo.”
★★☆☆☆ “El Golpe de Gracia.”
★☆☆☆☆ “Un Hijo de los Dioses.” [1.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “Un Asunto de Puestos.” [1.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “Una Especie de Oficial.” [1.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “George Thurston – Tres Incidentes.”
★☆☆☆☆ “Lo que vi de Shiloh.” [0.5]
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1956] [127p] [Colección] [2.5] [Parcialmente Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
May 4, 2023
The one story of his you may have read in an anthology is Incident at Owl Creek Bridge, which is phenomenal. Yet all his stories of that awful war, as all wars are, are good, strong reads. Recommended.
July 3, 2017
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. I stumbled across an article on 6/24/17 'the 175th anniversary of the birth of Ambrose Bierce' and knew I had to read something he wrote. He fought in the Civil war for the Union and the stories reflect his experiences and there's NO doubt which side he was on. I think he's a great author with insight about the psyche of a soldier, humor, and writing a short story ending with a punch are his strong suit. Bravo, Mr. Bierce and thank you for your service!
July 5, 2022
Ah, those many, many needless dead!
These unique short stories are based on Ambrose Bierce's own experiences of the American Civil War, examining the human nature amidst harrowing, unusual and uncanny incidents.
These unique short stories are based on Ambrose Bierce's own experiences of the American Civil War, examining the human nature amidst harrowing, unusual and uncanny incidents.
August 9, 2017
Ambrose Bierce was an enigmatic man. He wrote for newspapers, short stories, and poetry. His writing was colored by acerbic wit and more than a touch of bitterness. He traveled to Mexico in 1913. In a farewell letter he wrote, "If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it a pretty good way to depart this life..."
That was the last heard of Bierce. It is assumed that he died in the siege of Ojinaga in January 1914.
This collection of stories are considered some of the best of Bierce's fiction. They are inspired largely from his own experiences in the war. However, Bierce's writing isn't worth reading because he is an authority on the Civil War but rather because of his ability to cause the reader to dive into each scene and experience along with the characters the events that take place.
Perhaps he is a little verbose on detail but that seems to be a characteristic of writers of that day. Another common story technique that Bierce uses is to create a story line that appears to have no arc. It simply builds until the final paragraph, sometimes the last sentence, where the full force of the story arrives home to astound the reader.
My one criticism is that in some of the stories the difficulty for the protagonist could have been avoided if he had only employed common sense. In one such story a man does amazingly foolish things because, as it turns out, some idjit of a woman back home "hoped he wouldn't turn out to be a coward as Captain so and so claimed." Really? We counter that with risking our life to the point of finally losing it for nothing? How about just finding a new girlfriend?
Another story has a Captain so blindly following orders that he knowingly engages in friendly fire because ordered to "shoot ahead no matter what" by a superior who had also told him to never question an order.
But there are also some real gems. Parker Addison, Philosopher is my favorite. A Union spy engages in a witty, belligerent repartee with a Confederate General who has him in custody. The wit and belligerence is all on the side of the spy. The general merely asks formal questions. He even smiles at some of the remarks. The spy apparently has no belief in any kind of afterlife and thumbs his nose at his imminent death. Until he is unexpectedly faced with it. The ending is tense and the action lightening-speed paced culminating to a surprisingly peaceful end. Well, at least for one of them.
Bierce doesn't spare the reader the horrors of war. There is no romanticism here. Nevertheless his stories are told with rich descriptions and show the honor and respect due to both sides as they each act according to their convictions. Probably the most poignant of his stories deal with the dividing of families as each choose the side they serve, sometime with harrowing results.
Anyone interested in Civil War history and plot twist play in the style of Poe, O Henry or even Lovecraft will enjoy this small collection of short stories by a man who, sadly, lived through enough of the war to become tired of living.
That was the last heard of Bierce. It is assumed that he died in the siege of Ojinaga in January 1914.
This collection of stories are considered some of the best of Bierce's fiction. They are inspired largely from his own experiences in the war. However, Bierce's writing isn't worth reading because he is an authority on the Civil War but rather because of his ability to cause the reader to dive into each scene and experience along with the characters the events that take place.
Perhaps he is a little verbose on detail but that seems to be a characteristic of writers of that day. Another common story technique that Bierce uses is to create a story line that appears to have no arc. It simply builds until the final paragraph, sometimes the last sentence, where the full force of the story arrives home to astound the reader.
My one criticism is that in some of the stories the difficulty for the protagonist could have been avoided if he had only employed common sense. In one such story a man does amazingly foolish things because, as it turns out, some idjit of a woman back home "hoped he wouldn't turn out to be a coward as Captain so and so claimed." Really? We counter that with risking our life to the point of finally losing it for nothing? How about just finding a new girlfriend?
Another story has a Captain so blindly following orders that he knowingly engages in friendly fire because ordered to "shoot ahead no matter what" by a superior who had also told him to never question an order.
But there are also some real gems. Parker Addison, Philosopher is my favorite. A Union spy engages in a witty, belligerent repartee with a Confederate General who has him in custody. The wit and belligerence is all on the side of the spy. The general merely asks formal questions. He even smiles at some of the remarks. The spy apparently has no belief in any kind of afterlife and thumbs his nose at his imminent death. Until he is unexpectedly faced with it. The ending is tense and the action lightening-speed paced culminating to a surprisingly peaceful end. Well, at least for one of them.
Bierce doesn't spare the reader the horrors of war. There is no romanticism here. Nevertheless his stories are told with rich descriptions and show the honor and respect due to both sides as they each act according to their convictions. Probably the most poignant of his stories deal with the dividing of families as each choose the side they serve, sometime with harrowing results.
Anyone interested in Civil War history and plot twist play in the style of Poe, O Henry or even Lovecraft will enjoy this small collection of short stories by a man who, sadly, lived through enough of the war to become tired of living.
November 26, 2024
The only notable author who served in the American Civil War, Ambrose Bierce’s war stories came from a place of experience and terrible truth. He had no illusions about war, and his stories were devoid of grandeur, myth or romance. He used realism, time jumps, perspective shifts, and ending twists that set his tales apart from most of the literature of his time. And they were suffused with death — bare, stark, unadorned death.
In A Horseman in the Sky a sleeping Union sentry posted on a mountain overlooking the valley where his army is camped wakes to see a horseman silhouetted against the sky on a high ledge — a scouting Confederate officer.
Bierce then time jumps back to the when sentry, a young Virginian gentleman informs his father that he is leaving to join the Federal troops. His father calls him a traitor to Virginia, but advises him to go do his duty as he sees it, and if they both survive the war they will discuss the matter further.
Back to the mountain sentry post, the young soldier has a momentary failure of nerve, as his emotions and humanity struggle against his duty to stop the enemy scout. But he remembers his father’s words to do his duty as he sees it, steels himself, and fires, aiming at the horse, rather than the rider. The effect is the same, as the horse falls with its rider from its high elevation, crashing together to the valley below.
Bierce changes perspectives to a Union officer in the valley below, who observes the stunning sight of the scout seemingly riding his horse down from the sky above:
”Filled with amazement and terror by this apparition of a horseman in the sky, half believing himself the chosen scribe of some new apocalypse, the officer was overcome by the intensity of his emotion.”
Returning to the young sentry, he is ordered by his sergeant to report on his shot fired, and his report reveals the bitter horror of the conflict — the horseman was his father.
In Chickamauga it was not enough for Bierce to strip war of all of it mythical grandeur and show it as the naked horror. He turns that horror into the absolutely grotesque by showing the aftermath of a terrible battle through the perspective of a deaf/mute six year old child.
The child who had been lost in the woods before the battle wanders across its aftermath as he attempts to go home. By the creek he observes the ground writhing with horribly wounded men trying to drag themselves to the water for a drink. Not understanding what he is seeing, he attempts to mount one of the crawling men to ride his back as he has with his father’s slaves, and only begins to comprehend the horror as the wounded man shakes him off and glares at him with a face with the jaw shot away. The now thoroughly terrified child continues his journey across the fields of ruined and dying bodies, until, without realizing it, he stumbles upon his own home, now in flames, and discovers his mother a mangled corpse among the dead.
Killed at Resaca subverts the idea of war’s grand ideals with a tale of a well regarded young officer who was vain of his courage, refusing to take cover or hug the ground even in the hottest fire. This foolishly brave behavior caught up with him at Resaca when, delivering a message, he rode directly into danger rather than taking an evasive route, sparking a firefight in which he and over one hundred men were killed.
A letter discovered in his effects explained his foolhardy behavior. His sweetheart had written that someone had told her that he had been seen hiding behind a tree in an early battle, and she states that she would rather him dead than to shame her as a coward. After the war, a comrade tried to return that letter, stained with his blood to the sweetheart, but she callously threw it into the fire, stated she can’t abide the sight of blood.
These tales, along with the others, each deflate the mythos of war. Each exposes it in different ways for the meaningless horror that it is. No man has ever written more honestly of warfare.
In A Horseman in the Sky a sleeping Union sentry posted on a mountain overlooking the valley where his army is camped wakes to see a horseman silhouetted against the sky on a high ledge — a scouting Confederate officer.
Bierce then time jumps back to the when sentry, a young Virginian gentleman informs his father that he is leaving to join the Federal troops. His father calls him a traitor to Virginia, but advises him to go do his duty as he sees it, and if they both survive the war they will discuss the matter further.
Back to the mountain sentry post, the young soldier has a momentary failure of nerve, as his emotions and humanity struggle against his duty to stop the enemy scout. But he remembers his father’s words to do his duty as he sees it, steels himself, and fires, aiming at the horse, rather than the rider. The effect is the same, as the horse falls with its rider from its high elevation, crashing together to the valley below.
Bierce changes perspectives to a Union officer in the valley below, who observes the stunning sight of the scout seemingly riding his horse down from the sky above:
”Filled with amazement and terror by this apparition of a horseman in the sky, half believing himself the chosen scribe of some new apocalypse, the officer was overcome by the intensity of his emotion.”
Returning to the young sentry, he is ordered by his sergeant to report on his shot fired, and his report reveals the bitter horror of the conflict — the horseman was his father.
In Chickamauga it was not enough for Bierce to strip war of all of it mythical grandeur and show it as the naked horror. He turns that horror into the absolutely grotesque by showing the aftermath of a terrible battle through the perspective of a deaf/mute six year old child.
The child who had been lost in the woods before the battle wanders across its aftermath as he attempts to go home. By the creek he observes the ground writhing with horribly wounded men trying to drag themselves to the water for a drink. Not understanding what he is seeing, he attempts to mount one of the crawling men to ride his back as he has with his father’s slaves, and only begins to comprehend the horror as the wounded man shakes him off and glares at him with a face with the jaw shot away. The now thoroughly terrified child continues his journey across the fields of ruined and dying bodies, until, without realizing it, he stumbles upon his own home, now in flames, and discovers his mother a mangled corpse among the dead.
Killed at Resaca subverts the idea of war’s grand ideals with a tale of a well regarded young officer who was vain of his courage, refusing to take cover or hug the ground even in the hottest fire. This foolishly brave behavior caught up with him at Resaca when, delivering a message, he rode directly into danger rather than taking an evasive route, sparking a firefight in which he and over one hundred men were killed.
A letter discovered in his effects explained his foolhardy behavior. His sweetheart had written that someone had told her that he had been seen hiding behind a tree in an early battle, and she states that she would rather him dead than to shame her as a coward. After the war, a comrade tried to return that letter, stained with his blood to the sweetheart, but she callously threw it into the fire, stated she can’t abide the sight of blood.
These tales, along with the others, each deflate the mythos of war. Each exposes it in different ways for the meaningless horror that it is. No man has ever written more honestly of warfare.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2012
If you want to read vivid descriptions of the front line of the Civil War, read these stories. If you want to read dark, biting satire, read these stories. If you want to read something that makes you say, "That's effed up!" read these stories. If you're looking for happy-go-lucky stories about rabbits searching for rainbows to tell your children before they go to bed, look elsewhere.
February 28, 2020
A collection of compelling short stories taking place during the ghastly American Civil War, in which the writer took part.
Matching soundtrack :
Galactic Funk - DJ Spooky
Rebirth of a Nation - DJ Spooky
Matching soundtrack :
Galactic Funk - DJ Spooky
Rebirth of a Nation - DJ Spooky
June 16, 2020
Un recordatorio que se puede escribir de todo, y mejor aún que se puede hacer de forma extraordinaria. Bierce, un estadounidense que después de estar un año en la Academia Militar participa en la Guerra Civil. ¿Por cuál bando? No lo sabemos con certeza, a veces nos habla de los confederados (norte) y a veces de la unión (sur), para mostrarnos que la guerra es peleada por los mismos vecinos que unos días atrás compartían en los porches de sus casas. Nos recuerda mucho el registro del best-seller chileno: “Un veterano de tres guerras”, pero este no es un diario, sino que un ejercicio propio de la escritura: relata batallas, experiencias que atraviesan el complicado problema del porqué se pelea una guerra. Son 14 cuentos, relatos, que avanzan de forma vertiginosa, exprimiendo la experiencia humana a través de un testigo de primera fuente, que escribe con verdadera maestría la lógicas que hay detrás de una batalla que no sabemos hasta su final si es ganada o no. Como dato interesante: es uno de los escritores preferidos de Lovecraft y tenía toda la razón. Una excelente lectura para comprender de mejor forma lo que sigue ocurriendo con el racismo en EE.UU. -por ejemplo- y que las guerras, por el motivo que sean, nunca son una buena opción para la humanidad.
(...) "- ¿Quién fue el agresor en este asunto, usted o el general Hart?/-Yo fui./¿Y podría usted no saber? ¿No vio, señor, que usted atacaba a su propio ejército?/!La respuesta fue impresionante!/-Lo supe, general. Pero me pareció que no era algo de mi incumbencia." "Ningún territorio es demasiado hostil o feroz como para que el hombre lo convierta en un escenario bélico." "La carta denotaba evidencias de buena crianza y refinamiento, no obstante, era una carta de amor ordinaria, si una carta de amor puede ser ordinaria." "Nuestra oscura y sinuosa fila de soldados, arrastrándose como una serpiente gigante bajo los árboles, parecía interminable. Y estoy casi avergonzado de decir cuán dulce se me antojaba la compañía de esos hombres rudos." (...)
(...) "- ¿Quién fue el agresor en este asunto, usted o el general Hart?/-Yo fui./¿Y podría usted no saber? ¿No vio, señor, que usted atacaba a su propio ejército?/!La respuesta fue impresionante!/-Lo supe, general. Pero me pareció que no era algo de mi incumbencia." "Ningún territorio es demasiado hostil o feroz como para que el hombre lo convierta en un escenario bélico." "La carta denotaba evidencias de buena crianza y refinamiento, no obstante, era una carta de amor ordinaria, si una carta de amor puede ser ordinaria." "Nuestra oscura y sinuosa fila de soldados, arrastrándose como una serpiente gigante bajo los árboles, parecía interminable. Y estoy casi avergonzado de decir cuán dulce se me antojaba la compañía de esos hombres rudos." (...)
November 6, 2009
Some books really give you a feel for a specific time and place. "The Tale of Two Cities" does that for me with the French Revolution. It's not so much that it gives a sophisticated intellectual understanding as that it gives a vivid impression of what it may have been like to live there at that time. Perhaps all really great books do this, but it seems to me some do it more than others. This collection of short stories by Bierce is one of them. In it I get a feel for what the actual people who fought the Civil War are like, how they are different from other people who fought other wars. It may not all be accurate although it is informed by personal experience, but none the less it throws a striking image on the mind of the times and personalities involved.
The stories themselves are for the most part driven by twist endings. Whether or not this is the highest form of the short story, the stories are readable and pungent. One comes away with a strong sense of how Bierce saw the war without him for the most part resorting to direct commentary. Very satisfying.
The stories themselves are for the most part driven by twist endings. Whether or not this is the highest form of the short story, the stories are readable and pungent. One comes away with a strong sense of how Bierce saw the war without him for the most part resorting to direct commentary. Very satisfying.
August 19, 2020
Bitter Bierce has many collections to choose from, each one worth a neb, especially his weird tales, but this cheap collection from Dover Publications contains some of his heaviest tales, drawn from his own experiences at the frontline of the American Civil War, as well as his most famous story, 'An Occurrence at Owl-Creek Bridge'.
December 18, 2020
Ambrose Bierce was an acerbic, conceited, misfit of a man often in conflict with those around him but his distance from people allowed him to observe them with a laser focus. These are not your standard war stories of bravery, cowardice and conflict although all these elements are here in abundance, no, these stories are about the Twilight Zone ending, the Rod Serling irony, the fickle twist of fate, the opposite being true of the obvious. No wonder "An Occurance At Owl Creek Bridge" was the only Twilight Zone not produced by Serling. Ambrose Bierce had already produced it as though he had The Zone in mind as he was writing it. All of these stories will stay with you long after you have closed the pages.
June 5, 2017
This is an excellent anthology of a diverse assortment of tales that do a remarkable job of capturing the drama, tension, and psychology of those, like Bierce, who participated in the horror that was the Civil War. While An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is the most famous of these stories, I found the highlight of the collection to be Bierce's own recollection of his participation in the Battle of Shiloh, a battle that is regrettably little known today in spite of being at the time the bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil.
March 30, 2020
You know how most are gonna end but the construction is just flawless.
June 27, 2020
Mmmmmmmmmmm no me gusto pero rescato la escritura. Creo que definitivamente no estoy para literatura de guerra.
December 24, 2024
This book is great. Several short stories that are easy to read. I found this book on another authors “to read” list.
February 2, 2025
The author obviously fought his own demons after his Civil War battles were fought. Likely suffered from PTSD, and depression. I suspect he had nightmares till the day he died.
Still, his stories keep you engaged, are well written and imaginative, you expect the worst in each tale, and you quickly learn to expect a turn toward the macabre. Much in the vein of Edgar Allan Poe.
Still, his stories keep you engaged, are well written and imaginative, you expect the worst in each tale, and you quickly learn to expect a turn toward the macabre. Much in the vein of Edgar Allan Poe.
January 11, 2023
This volume compiles most of Bierce's Civil War stories from the collection Tales of Soldiers and Civilians, plus two seemingly-only-lightly-fictionalized reminiscences of his own war service.
Bierce's writing is vivid, and he's observant and attentive to detail in ways that create a great feeling of verisimilitude- he wasn't just a talented writer, he was himself there. Most of these stories could be boiled down to one-page anecdotes, but Bierce's skill with character and theme elevates them to the status of finely-worked miniatures; his treatments of even the most cliched themes (sometimes-literally fratricidal war, the David/Uriah topos of an ill-intentioned commander) are satisfying.
Bierce focuses on the grim, futile, pathetic aspects of war. There is little or no room for glory or heroism in these stories- usually there's just ignominious death, fast or slow. A dark cloud of impending death and suffering hangs over the stories. Bierce isn't very concerned with politics- and none of his characters ever even question the justness of the war- he's entirely focused on the grotesque, dehumanizing reality of men at war.
Bierce was himself a low-ranking officer in the war, and his stories uniformly give an ant's-eye view of the battles depicted- the protagonists are all civilians, enlisted men, noncoms, or low-ranking commissioned officers, with the highest-ranking protagonists only being Captains (though one story, "The Affair at Coulter's Notch," features a Colonel as its viewpoint character (but not protagonist)). Generals are portrayed as oblivious and uncaring of the suffering of their men at best, and incompetent or malicious at worst.
In many ways these stories remind me of Kurt Vonnegut- the fatalism, the grim, wry humor, the emphasis on the most debasing aspects of war- though Bierce is perhaps less nihilistic in the end.
This book is a very easy recommendation.
Bierce's writing is vivid, and he's observant and attentive to detail in ways that create a great feeling of verisimilitude- he wasn't just a talented writer, he was himself there. Most of these stories could be boiled down to one-page anecdotes, but Bierce's skill with character and theme elevates them to the status of finely-worked miniatures; his treatments of even the most cliched themes (sometimes-literally fratricidal war, the David/Uriah topos of an ill-intentioned commander) are satisfying.
Bierce focuses on the grim, futile, pathetic aspects of war. There is little or no room for glory or heroism in these stories- usually there's just ignominious death, fast or slow. A dark cloud of impending death and suffering hangs over the stories. Bierce isn't very concerned with politics- and none of his characters ever even question the justness of the war- he's entirely focused on the grotesque, dehumanizing reality of men at war.
Bierce was himself a low-ranking officer in the war, and his stories uniformly give an ant's-eye view of the battles depicted- the protagonists are all civilians, enlisted men, noncoms, or low-ranking commissioned officers, with the highest-ranking protagonists only being Captains (though one story, "The Affair at Coulter's Notch," features a Colonel as its viewpoint character (but not protagonist)). Generals are portrayed as oblivious and uncaring of the suffering of their men at best, and incompetent or malicious at worst.
In many ways these stories remind me of Kurt Vonnegut- the fatalism, the grim, wry humor, the emphasis on the most debasing aspects of war- though Bierce is perhaps less nihilistic in the end.
This book is a very easy recommendation.
May 16, 2013
I was born and raised in Ohio, where we studied Ohio History in eighth grade at that time. Because of my interest in the subject, the teacher gave a used copy of an older edition of our textbook, which I still have. In the chapter on “Literature and the Arts,” there was a section on “Later Ohio fiction writers” which said, “Ohio has continued to produce its full share of famous authors,” one of whom was Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914). The following was written about Bierce. “Ambrose Bierce is the author of a limited number of short stories, among which are some of the best ever written by an American. After fighting in the Union Army, Bierce went to San Francisco and became a newspaper editor. He was noted for his biting comments on anything that seemed to him insincere. His column, which won for him the title of ‘Bitter Bierce,’ has had many imitators in modern newspapers.”
Thus, when I saw this book of Civil War Stories by Bierce at the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Park gift shop in Missouri, I picked it up. It contains sixteen short stories about the Civil War taken from The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volumes I and II, published in 1909, most of which come from his book Tales of Soldiers and Civilians of 1891. Some of the titles include "A Horseman in the Sky," "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," "Chickamauga," "A Son of the Gods," "What I Saw of Shiloh," "Four Days in Dixie," and "One of the Missing," plus nine more. It does not have one of his most famous Civil War stories, "A Bivouac for the Dead." All of them are filled with the vitriolic wit and biting satire that earned Bierce his nickname. Most of them involve some kind of irony, often with a surprise ending, and a few of them might fall into the category of the macabre, ala Alfred Hitchcock.
Many of the descriptions of the battles are rather graphic, and one story involves a suicide. The “d” and “h” words are use occasionally, along with some taking the Lord’s name in vain (e.g., “my God,” “by God,” “good God”). There is one reference to drinking wine. These dark and vivid tales are not for young children, but teens and adults who are Civil War buffs might appreciate them. A lot of the stories I found interesting, but a few just did not make a great deal of sense to me. In 1913, Bierce, who had become increasingly disenchanted with his own life due to the divorce from his wife and the deaths of his two sons, went to Mexico to meet the revolutionary leader Pancho Villa and to observe firsthand the Civil War there. After a “farewell letter,” nothing more was heard from or about Bierce, and the circumstances of his death remain a mystery. It is generally assumed that he died at the siege of Ojinaga in January of 1914.
Thus, when I saw this book of Civil War Stories by Bierce at the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Park gift shop in Missouri, I picked it up. It contains sixteen short stories about the Civil War taken from The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volumes I and II, published in 1909, most of which come from his book Tales of Soldiers and Civilians of 1891. Some of the titles include "A Horseman in the Sky," "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," "Chickamauga," "A Son of the Gods," "What I Saw of Shiloh," "Four Days in Dixie," and "One of the Missing," plus nine more. It does not have one of his most famous Civil War stories, "A Bivouac for the Dead." All of them are filled with the vitriolic wit and biting satire that earned Bierce his nickname. Most of them involve some kind of irony, often with a surprise ending, and a few of them might fall into the category of the macabre, ala Alfred Hitchcock.
Many of the descriptions of the battles are rather graphic, and one story involves a suicide. The “d” and “h” words are use occasionally, along with some taking the Lord’s name in vain (e.g., “my God,” “by God,” “good God”). There is one reference to drinking wine. These dark and vivid tales are not for young children, but teens and adults who are Civil War buffs might appreciate them. A lot of the stories I found interesting, but a few just did not make a great deal of sense to me. In 1913, Bierce, who had become increasingly disenchanted with his own life due to the divorce from his wife and the deaths of his two sons, went to Mexico to meet the revolutionary leader Pancho Villa and to observe firsthand the Civil War there. After a “farewell letter,” nothing more was heard from or about Bierce, and the circumstances of his death remain a mystery. It is generally assumed that he died at the siege of Ojinaga in January of 1914.
May 21, 2016
Civil War Stories is a collection of short stories drawn on Ambrose Bierce's experiences as an officer in the Civil War. His writing demonstrates his true respect and admiration for the heroism he saw; contempt for cowardice; his appreciation and, yes, admiration for dedication to duty; and his outrage at the tragedies war brings about. There can be no doubt that this is a powerful antiwar document.
Today if they remember him at all, most people remember Bierce, a well-known journalist and writer in his time, only as the author of The Devil's Dictionary, a satirical compendium of the English language. ("Bore: A person who speaks when you wish him to listen".)
In Civil War Stories we read of Bierce's experiences in the battle of Shiloh, which are every bit as terrifying as you would expect, an unauthorized excursion behind enemy lines, and the simple heroism that seemingly ordinary men exhibit out of a sense of duty. As I said, while he admires their brave actions he never ignores the sometimes tragic consequences of those actions or the unbearable suffering of the common soldiers. For example, from "What I Saw of Shiloh":
"The dense forests wholly or partly in which were fought so many battles of the Civil War, lay upon the earth in each autumn a thick deposit of dead leaves and stems, the decay of which forms a soil of surprising depth and richness. In dry weather the upper stratum is as inflammable as tinder. A fire once kindled in it will spread with a slow, persistent advance as far as local conditions permit, leaving a bed of light ashes beneath which the less combustible accretions of previous years will smolder until extinguished by rains. In many of the engagements of the war the fallen leaves took fire and roasted the fallen men."
These events happened a hundred fifty years ago, yet the modern reader can relate to the dehumanizing experiences of Bierce's soldiers, even though they were engaged in an unquestionably justified pursuit. I suspect anyone with modern military experience will also recognize the occasional incompetence and obliviousness to reason of the chain of command and the civilian leadership who like to dabble in military affairs of which they have little understanding.
Written in the nineteenth century, the stories are written in a style that may be slightly distracting, and when read at one sitting Bierce's fondness for the surprise ending can get repetitive. These are the reasons I didn't give him five stars. Definitely worth reading.
Today if they remember him at all, most people remember Bierce, a well-known journalist and writer in his time, only as the author of The Devil's Dictionary, a satirical compendium of the English language. ("Bore: A person who speaks when you wish him to listen".)
In Civil War Stories we read of Bierce's experiences in the battle of Shiloh, which are every bit as terrifying as you would expect, an unauthorized excursion behind enemy lines, and the simple heroism that seemingly ordinary men exhibit out of a sense of duty. As I said, while he admires their brave actions he never ignores the sometimes tragic consequences of those actions or the unbearable suffering of the common soldiers. For example, from "What I Saw of Shiloh":
"The dense forests wholly or partly in which were fought so many battles of the Civil War, lay upon the earth in each autumn a thick deposit of dead leaves and stems, the decay of which forms a soil of surprising depth and richness. In dry weather the upper stratum is as inflammable as tinder. A fire once kindled in it will spread with a slow, persistent advance as far as local conditions permit, leaving a bed of light ashes beneath which the less combustible accretions of previous years will smolder until extinguished by rains. In many of the engagements of the war the fallen leaves took fire and roasted the fallen men."
These events happened a hundred fifty years ago, yet the modern reader can relate to the dehumanizing experiences of Bierce's soldiers, even though they were engaged in an unquestionably justified pursuit. I suspect anyone with modern military experience will also recognize the occasional incompetence and obliviousness to reason of the chain of command and the civilian leadership who like to dabble in military affairs of which they have little understanding.
Written in the nineteenth century, the stories are written in a style that may be slightly distracting, and when read at one sitting Bierce's fondness for the surprise ending can get repetitive. These are the reasons I didn't give him five stars. Definitely worth reading.
January 6, 2018
Ambrose Bierce. A literary figure who seems forgotten to most modern readers. Perhaps it’s the time in which he wrote and lived, or the mysterious end to his life. A fate as mysterious as many of the stories he wrote. I won’t give a complete biography, but he lived an interesting life and left the world under remarkable circumstances. I’ll let you, the reader, discover more if you so choose. If you like Poe, Lovecraft, and the Twilight Zone, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy Bierce. He writes with an eloquent style of prose and uses a twist ending in many of his stories. In this review of his collection titled Civil War Stories, my review will be a bit different. Bierce was a Union soldier during the Civil War, and all these stories share the setting. Instead of reviewing the collection as a whole, I’ll write a short review of each individual story in the order they appear. Then I’ll try to sum the collection up at the end...
To read the rest of this review go to https://drewmartinwrites.wordpress.co...
To read the rest of this review go to https://drewmartinwrites.wordpress.co...
August 30, 2018
This slim book contains, as the title suggests, short stories about the American Civil War, several of which appear to be memoirs rather than fiction. Bierce fought in the war on the Union side. Although I have read a number of Civil War books, I think this is the first that was written by a veteran of that war. (Shame on me.)
The sixteen short stories form a striking and illuminating set; honest, at times brutally so, about the gore and the cost of war, yet allowing improbabilities when it serves the narrative. Individually, the stories are very strong. Collectively, their similarities in tone and storytelling technique made them slightly less effective. I anticipated turns in the tales, some of which might otherwise have surprised me. I read the book, intermittently, over six weeks, but maybe should have stretched it out longer.
It is hard to single out a favorite story, but I particularly liked "Four Days in Dixie," which appears to be autobiographical, and which uses humor to offset the terrible plight in which the narrator finds himself.
Highly recommended.
The sixteen short stories form a striking and illuminating set; honest, at times brutally so, about the gore and the cost of war, yet allowing improbabilities when it serves the narrative. Individually, the stories are very strong. Collectively, their similarities in tone and storytelling technique made them slightly less effective. I anticipated turns in the tales, some of which might otherwise have surprised me. I read the book, intermittently, over six weeks, but maybe should have stretched it out longer.
It is hard to single out a favorite story, but I particularly liked "Four Days in Dixie," which appears to be autobiographical, and which uses humor to offset the terrible plight in which the narrator finds himself.
Highly recommended.
July 22, 2019
Bierce's stories are part Civil War ultra-realism, like The Red Badge of Courage, and part Twilight Zone. Some of them take place on Georgia battlefields that the author fought at like Chickamauga, Resaca, and Kennesaw Mountain, making them of even more interest to me. They are down right weird in the best kind of way, and they offer incredible commentary on the experience of men at war. Many readers will be familiar with "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" because it is so commonly anthologized. While it's good, I feel it has unduly stolen the spotlight from some of the stronger stories in the collection.
Best stories in the collection:
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
A Son of the Gods
Killed at Resaca
The Affair at Coulter's Notch
The Story of Conscience
Best stories in the collection:
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
A Son of the Gods
Killed at Resaca
The Affair at Coulter's Notch
The Story of Conscience
Read
July 7, 2020The New Journalism of 1971 was originated by Bierce, a super-journalist, back when sublimity was occasionally found in newspapers. (Where were these stories published? I assume in penny papers.)
These fictional realist reports are the step between Hawthorne and O. Henry, sadly forgotten. Maybe these are the best writings about the Fratricidal War? After I finished them, I realized they’re full of ghastly humor. “Studies of Death” is an alternate title – or “47 Varieties of Death.”
Opening at random:
“Filled with amazement and terror by this apparition of a horseman in the sky – half believing himself the chosen scribe of some new Apocalypse, the officer was overcome by the intensity of his emotions; his legs failed him and he fell.”
These fictional realist reports are the step between Hawthorne and O. Henry, sadly forgotten. Maybe these are the best writings about the Fratricidal War? After I finished them, I realized they’re full of ghastly humor. “Studies of Death” is an alternate title – or “47 Varieties of Death.”
Opening at random:
“Filled with amazement and terror by this apparition of a horseman in the sky – half believing himself the chosen scribe of some new Apocalypse, the officer was overcome by the intensity of his emotions; his legs failed him and he fell.”
September 11, 2009
God he's good!!!!Glad this is pared down to a few of his best - An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is as good as they say! His ideas on death are complex and almost contradictory. Crazy coincidences crop up often and are a definite motif .And the horror in his stories still stands up today- the description of the retreating wounded soldiers at Chicamauga was insane. I'm still thinking about the extraordinary circumstances his characters are placed. Loved the story Parker Addison, Philosopher as well. I'll reread this someday...
August 17, 2014
This book was very well written and provides a wonderful view into the human aspect of the men on the side of the North that were in the battle. The formula surprise ending used in many of the stories can easily be forgiven because of the language and wit of the author. This is not a history book and does nothing to cover the battles, movement of troops or anything that you might have studied in school. It puts you in the shoes of an officer and tells you a story. This was a pleasure to read.
October 21, 2022
Contents:
1 What I Saw of Shiloh 5⭐
2 Four Days in Dixie 5⭐
3 A Horseman in the Sky 3.5⭐
4 An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge 5⭐
5 Chickamauga 4.5⭐
6 A Son of the Gods 4⭐
7 One of the Missing 5⭐
8 Killed at Resaca 4⭐
9 The Affair at Coulter's Notch 5⭐
10 The Coup de Grâce 5⭐
11 Parker Adderson, Philosopher 4⭐
12 An Affair of Outposts 4⭐
13 The Story of a Conscience 5⭐
14 One Kind of Officer 4⭐
15 George Thurston 4⭐
16 The Mocking-bird 5⭐
1 What I Saw of Shiloh 5⭐
2 Four Days in Dixie 5⭐
3 A Horseman in the Sky 3.5⭐
4 An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge 5⭐
5 Chickamauga 4.5⭐
6 A Son of the Gods 4⭐
7 One of the Missing 5⭐
8 Killed at Resaca 4⭐
9 The Affair at Coulter's Notch 5⭐
10 The Coup de Grâce 5⭐
11 Parker Adderson, Philosopher 4⭐
12 An Affair of Outposts 4⭐
13 The Story of a Conscience 5⭐
14 One Kind of Officer 4⭐
15 George Thurston 4⭐
16 The Mocking-bird 5⭐
June 19, 2014
Bierce is a strange beast. Some of the stories are flat and all are predictable: the "hero" will die. Bierce though has a touch for the dark ironic twist, an ear for dialogue, and is at his best when waxing philosophical. That being said he is a "realist" and the best work is that which is autobiographical, such as the peerless What I Saw At Shiloh.
June 11, 2016
As bitter and nihilistic as it is elegantly written.
December 1, 2022
I like that in Ambrose Bierce's works of literature there is no fatherly morality, although they are on the topic, where you can find enough space for talking about universal values. In those stories that I read, as if in invisible ink on all pages, above the text, “It happens” is signed. Children are cruel, though innocent — it happens. Husbands can love their wives and, at the same time, want to fight and kill — it happens. Sometimes sacrifice can be for the sake of the whim of another, and a person dies stupidly and for no reason — it happens. From the stories "Killed at Resaca" and "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" I was left with the impression of the senselessness of the actions of the heroes, their decisive actions, and their high feelings. The classic alignment in the stories that we usually hear and read is that the loser is a villain deserving punishment or a victim of circumstances, that the fight takes place with an opponent who has his own interests and it just so happened that they and the main character did not manage to come to a compromise. On the whole, some generally understandable intensity of emotions for people, the desire for justice, the alignment of forces, and the knowledge that maybe the rivals and not necessarily both are bad or good, but that their struggle is a way of overcoming difficulties for the sake of something that deserves and requires struggle, requires their choice at every turn. In Bierce's stories, although there is a nominal villain (for example, the Yanks) and the heroes act, escape, suffer, but, in reality, the outcome of the battle with him is defined not within the framework of their choice, but within the framework of chance. As they say, such is fate. Such is the fate that the only time Peyton Farquhar ever had a real substantial opportunity to perform a feat in the name of the Confederacy, it turned out to be a trap. And such is the fate that Lieutenant Brayle turned out to be very impressionable and then one day he did not see that ravine. And such is the fate that the house of a deaf-mute boy caught fire (because in the text I do not see any specific reasons why this should have happened to his house). It happens.
Well, all the heroes become hostages to the whims of their fate, which always turns out to be rather unattractive. Do you want to feel sorry for them? Each reader, of course, answers this question for himself. Putting all the facts together, the answer seems pretty clear: is it possible not to sympathize with a little boy who sees his mother's corpse in the glow of his burning house, or a respectable planter who is hanged because he wanted to help the Confederacy, or a young lieutenant who dies because that he did not want to look like a coward in the eyes of the lady of the heart?
Those plot pictures that the author builds are built from such clear, clear facts that if there were no second bottom in them, then why would Ambrose Bierce become a classic of American literature and influenced, for example, Lovecraft? I think it's not about detective mysteries, but about what his characters are by nature. The author does not dissemble, hiding their best qualities, so that it would be easier for the reader to say goodbye to them: at one moment we see human feelings in them: love, affection, a sincere, kind desire for happiness, and at another - something demonic, terrible, like in a deaf-mute boy who, without any pity, tries to ride on a wounded soldier and cheerfully leads an army of crippled people, or in Farquhar, who dreamed of fighting so much that he rendered any service to the Confederation within the limits of his conscience, which did not deny the “frankly villainous dictum that all is fair in love and war". This unconscious cruelty, thirst for violence and authority exposes the inner ugliness of these characters, which no longer allows using the rules of morality so unambiguously. And I think the great thing about these stories is that all these characters are very human, very typical in terms of how often they can be seen in many of us. At the same time, I don’t see any harsh reproach to the heroes in Bierce’s stories. It's like he's saying: “It's just how it works”. Such is life, such is the alignment. After all, he himself went missing when he voluntarily went to fight in Mexico.
It seems to me that Bierce's stories are such a kaleidoscope of stories that are united by a common pattern of all the bad in those who could not be suspected of it according to the common general agreement who is considered as a bad person. Therefore, these stories can be read to at least be horrified by what a terrible, chaotic world is around us and how much we can be cruel without realizing it.
Well, all the heroes become hostages to the whims of their fate, which always turns out to be rather unattractive. Do you want to feel sorry for them? Each reader, of course, answers this question for himself. Putting all the facts together, the answer seems pretty clear: is it possible not to sympathize with a little boy who sees his mother's corpse in the glow of his burning house, or a respectable planter who is hanged because he wanted to help the Confederacy, or a young lieutenant who dies because that he did not want to look like a coward in the eyes of the lady of the heart?
Those plot pictures that the author builds are built from such clear, clear facts that if there were no second bottom in them, then why would Ambrose Bierce become a classic of American literature and influenced, for example, Lovecraft? I think it's not about detective mysteries, but about what his characters are by nature. The author does not dissemble, hiding their best qualities, so that it would be easier for the reader to say goodbye to them: at one moment we see human feelings in them: love, affection, a sincere, kind desire for happiness, and at another - something demonic, terrible, like in a deaf-mute boy who, without any pity, tries to ride on a wounded soldier and cheerfully leads an army of crippled people, or in Farquhar, who dreamed of fighting so much that he rendered any service to the Confederation within the limits of his conscience, which did not deny the “frankly villainous dictum that all is fair in love and war". This unconscious cruelty, thirst for violence and authority exposes the inner ugliness of these characters, which no longer allows using the rules of morality so unambiguously. And I think the great thing about these stories is that all these characters are very human, very typical in terms of how often they can be seen in many of us. At the same time, I don’t see any harsh reproach to the heroes in Bierce’s stories. It's like he's saying: “It's just how it works”. Such is life, such is the alignment. After all, he himself went missing when he voluntarily went to fight in Mexico.
It seems to me that Bierce's stories are such a kaleidoscope of stories that are united by a common pattern of all the bad in those who could not be suspected of it according to the common general agreement who is considered as a bad person. Therefore, these stories can be read to at least be horrified by what a terrible, chaotic world is around us and how much we can be cruel without realizing it.
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