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Civil War Stories

Civil War Stories

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  • Create Date：2021-05-29 11:57:08
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Ambrose Bierce
  • ISBN：0486280381
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Summary

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

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Reviews

Tom Schulte ，

I think every time I read "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" I find it imaginative， affecting， and worth reading。 Bierce's reportage-like vignettes of solider life ring true from that veteran and they are very good and feel like real time capsules: "What I Saw of Shiloh" and "Four Days in Dixie"。 The bulk of the collection feels very formulaic and predicable where a final sentence summons a cruel， lethal irony of the brother-against-brother vein: man shoots enemy father， artillerist order to fi I think every time I read "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" I find it imaginative， affecting， and worth reading。 Bierce's reportage-like vignettes of solider life ring true from that veteran and they are very good and feel like real time capsules: "What I Saw of Shiloh" and "Four Days in Dixie"。 The bulk of the collection feels very formulaic and predicable where a final sentence summons a cruel， lethal irony of the brother-against-brother vein: man shoots enemy father， artillerist order to fire on own house in artillery duel， etc。 This weighs down the collection。 。。。more

Esteban Galarza ，

Es la primera vez que abordo un libro entero de Ambrose Bierce。 Su nombre siempre aparecía en antologías de cuentos o en genealogías que leía sobre autores del siglo XIX que habían cultivado un tipo particular de cuento。 Tamaña y grata sorpresa me llevé al leerlo porque creo que acabo de conocer a uno de esos autores que leeré， releeré y citaré por siempre como parte del canon literario personal。Cuentos de la Guerra Civil son el eslabón que necesitaba para entender en qué momento la violencia má Es la primera vez que abordo un libro entero de Ambrose Bierce。 Su nombre siempre aparecía en antologías de cuentos o en genealogías que leía sobre autores del siglo XIX que habían cultivado un tipo particular de cuento。 Tamaña y grata sorpresa me llevé al leerlo porque creo que acabo de conocer a uno de esos autores que leeré， releeré y citaré por siempre como parte del canon literario personal。Cuentos de la Guerra Civil son el eslabón que necesitaba para entender en qué momento la violencia más cruda golpeó a la ficción estadounidense。 Ya sabemos que William Faulkner no salió de la nada y la corriente literaria del stream of conciousness no lo abarca del todo bien ni con suficiente justicia。 Acá está uno de sus antecesores para trazar una trama de una historia de la violencia en Estados Unidos （Sergio Leone luego lo filmaría）。 Y los cuentos， a diferencia de la nouvelle de Stephen Crane La roja insignia del valor， está escritos desde la experiencia directa del soldado Bierce que sobrevivió a los 5 años de la guerra civil。 Y en el entramado de los cuentos se vislumbra una mirada que aún Estados Unidos， en su inmensa ceguera mesiánica， no ve: que no fue un conflicto para abolir la esclavitud， sino que la masacre fue por el choque de dos modelos económicos que tenían como fin último la explotación más rentable de miles de hombres frente al capitalismo。 Podríamos decir que esta es la primera gran guerra que nace de una crisis directa del capitalismo。 en 1914 y en adelante las guerras tendrían su génesis en este modelo económico horrendo， pero no puedo imaginarme lo espantoso que habrá sido para esos hombres chocarse con esa novedad: armas sofisticadas， veloces， anónimas que mataban de forma industrial， políticas que avasallaban a la población civil， que se metían en lo más íntimo de los hogares y esta vez la guerra no era un campo de batalla aislado sino que todo era una gran tierra arrasada。 Ambrose Bierce nos habla de todo esto， del imposible honor de vecinos masacrándose con lo que encuentran y de políticos y empresarios que se horrorizan con soldados que no saben matarse entre sí como si estuviesen en un desfile militar en honor a ellos。Dios， creo que si empezase a escribir qué me gustó de este libro no acabaría más y terminaría por aburrir a mis lectores。 Lean esta colección de cuentos con la mayor concepción posible， es decir， como documentos históricos y como ficción， como filosofía y teoría sobre la guerra moderna。 Bierce tomó ejemplo de ello en vida y su cuerpo terminó en algún lugar de México cuando comenzaba la Revolución Mexicana。 Se lo tragó la guerra， aunque es difícil discernir cuál de todas。 。。。more

Mike Connor ，

Some of the short stories are well written and interesting。 Some of them couldn’t hold my attentions。 He did a great job of capturing what it was like in the war。 What the people would have felt or thought。 I was expecting more though。

Brad ，

This book held out to be a remarkable compendium of stories that summed up a lot of what I've learned about recently on the Civil War。 While I enjoyed larger historical texts and biographies of this historic time in our country， I'm not sure if anyone captures the complexities of emotions and personal turmoil as well as Ambroise Bierce。 Looking forward to reading more of his work。 This book held out to be a remarkable compendium of stories that summed up a lot of what I've learned about recently on the Civil War。 While I enjoyed larger historical texts and biographies of this historic time in our country， I'm not sure if anyone captures the complexities of emotions and personal turmoil as well as Ambroise Bierce。 Looking forward to reading more of his work。 。。。more

Alex ，

First line: “This is a simple story of a battle; such a tale as may be told by a soldier who is no writer to a reader who is no soldier。”Last line: “At roll-call that evening in the Federal camp the name William Graylock brought no response， nor ever again thereafter。”

Mason Frierson ，

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 onl 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。 。。。more

Jeremy Anderberg ，

"Bitter Bierce" is one of the more interesting characters in American literary history。 He served the Union in the Civil War， including the brutal Battle of Shiloh — an experience which understandably scarred him， but also provided fuel for some of the most poignant， realistic stories on the Civil War ever penned。While Ambrose wrote a variety of short stories （most in the horror/fantastical realm）， novels， journalism， and hybrid pieces — like the remarkably witty Devil's Dictionary — his greates "Bitter Bierce" is one of the more interesting characters in American literary history。 He served the Union in the Civil War， including the brutal Battle of Shiloh — an experience which understandably scarred him， but also provided fuel for some of the most poignant， realistic stories on the Civil War ever penned。While Ambrose wrote a variety of short stories （most in the horror/fantastical realm）， novels， journalism， and hybrid pieces — like the remarkably witty Devil's Dictionary — his greatest work， in my opinion， are the Civil War stories collected here。 While two of the pieces are short non-fiction remembrances of his wartime experience， the rest are fictional pieces that almost always have some sort of twisty ending。The real strength of Bierce is in capturing the consciousness of soldiers — their fears， worries， courage; their grappling with death， their camaraderie， their innocence and， eventually， their lack thereof。A few of the stories truly made my jaw drop at the end， either in the form of an unexpected conclusion， or simply an incredibly raw depiction of the sadness and weariness of war。I also read a handful of Bierce's other work， and while some of the other stories are good， none approach the power of the 16 found here。 While "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is his most famous story， I found "A Horseman in the Sky，" "Chickamauga，" and "One of the Missing" to be even more affecting。 （All can be read for free online。）All the stories can be read in under 10 minutes or so。 If you're looking for a fright during this autumnal season， Bierce's collection offers a hefty dose， with perhaps too much realism; there's no need for the supernatural when the horrors of war are enough to bring a chill to your bones。 。。。more

Albert Meier ，

Great details that capture the feelings and events of the era。 One story is incredible。 Two are enjoyable。 But by the time you read the entire book， you have seen too many people who were dead but didn't know it and too many soldiers meet and kill their own relative or friend to be surprised by these twists anymore。 Great details that capture the feelings and events of the era。 One story is incredible。 Two are enjoyable。 But by the time you read the entire book， you have seen too many people who were dead but didn't know it and too many soldiers meet and kill their own relative or friend to be surprised by these twists anymore。 。。。more

Dayla ，

Very good story teller。 Interesting ending to his life。

Amy ，

5 stars for the first part， two stars for the second part of the book。 Regarding the first part: It is acerbic， cynical， clear eyed， dark humor， and brilliant。 An incredible view of soldiering， human nature， and warfare。 Beautiful。 Devastating。 Important。 A military history classic。 I wish I’d read it sooner when I was fascinated by the Civil War， but I think I’m getting more out of it now after studying the war than I would have when less mature。All the above regards the memoir pieces based on 5 stars for the first part， two stars for the second part of the book。 Regarding the first part: It is acerbic， cynical， clear eyed， dark humor， and brilliant。 An incredible view of soldiering， human nature， and warfare。 Beautiful。 Devastating。 Important。 A military history classic。 I wish I’d read it sooner when I was fascinated by the Civil War， but I think I’m getting more out of it now after studying the war than I would have when less mature。All the above regards the memoir pieces based on Bierce’s experience， or Part One of this volume。 The short stories of Part Two were sometimes quite good， but overall didn’t have the realism impact of his own anecdotes。 I understand now why Ambrose Bierce has a gruesome reputation: every story has a macabre twist and usually something that's supposed to shock and dismay at the end， including unnecessary deaths。 There are several near the end that are ghost stories。 The final story in this collection is a humorous parody of political military appointees。 （In all the pieces there is a common theme of Generals not being worth the stars on their collars， but this was the most satirical。） The best of the short stories， and perhaps the one that reads most as if based of something he personally observed， is "A Son of the G-ds。"A common theme of the short stories is the random-chance nature of war， man’s cruelty to man， and that there are no real “winners” in a war。 All suffer。 There is bravery on both sides。 Life is wasted and bodies instantly become refuse and fodder for wild animals。 I wouldn't bother reading the short stories again， but they do contain moments that give you a sense of what snatches of life were like during the Civil War in addition to the memoir pieces。 。。。more

Milo Adkison ，

The man could write。 Not sure， but seems like a mix of fiction and his own experiences。 Feels like you were there。

Sparrow ，

The 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 rando The 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。” 。。。more

Emilia ，

Mmmmmmmmmmm no me gusto pero rescato la escritura。 Creo que definitivamente no estoy para literatura de guerra。

Fraser Burnett ，

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'。 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'。 。。。more

Kokelector ，

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 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。" （。。。） 。。。more

Allen Kearns， Jr。 ，

If your looking for glorious war stories this isn't the book for you。 Bierce does a fine job of depicting war's non-partisan allotment of misery， pain and irony。 It is well written but reader beware。。。the stories do not leave you for a while。 I think Bierce conveys with his writings， exactly what he means to portray。 If your looking for glorious war stories this isn't the book for you。 Bierce does a fine job of depicting war's non-partisan allotment of misery， pain and irony。 It is well written but reader beware。。。the stories do not leave you for a while。 I think Bierce conveys with his writings， exactly what he means to portray。 。。。more

M ，

For me， Bierce's stories were a bit dry but still pretty well-written。 For me， Bierce's stories were a bit dry but still pretty well-written。 。。。more

Justin Covey ，

You know how most are gonna end but the construction is just flawless。

Susannah ，

One cruel irony follows another in these horror stories drawn from a war replete with them。 The soldier's-eye-view gives these stories a graphic realism。 I live in a state covered with Civil War sites， and the facts of history alone paint the picture of the horrors of that war。I foolishly read these before bed--not exactly light reading。 Not that I am squeamish or over-sensitive， but the stories caused me to mull over the randomness of tragedy， especially when bullets and shells are flying。 （The One cruel irony follows another in these horror stories drawn from a war replete with them。 The soldier's-eye-view gives these stories a graphic realism。 I live in a state covered with Civil War sites， and the facts of history alone paint the picture of the horrors of that war。I foolishly read these before bed--not exactly light reading。 Not that I am squeamish or over-sensitive， but the stories caused me to mull over the randomness of tragedy， especially when bullets and shells are flying。 （Then again， so do the headlines on a regular basis。） So， after reading nearly half the collection， I lay awake and looked up at the gorgeously clear， imperturbable stars that， nearly 160 years ago， looked down on just such agonies right here on the spot where we live。 Men killed at random by lead flying across hundreds of yards， or bayoneted up close by former countrymen。 Basically， the Hutus and Tutsis， American-style。 （Well， not quite， but according to A。B。） Once again， the Civil War came close。 Because it *is* close。 A century-and-a-half is barely a blip in the grand scheme of history， and it happened right here， all over here。 The nearest city changed hands so many times it became known as "the shuttlecock of the Confederacy。"The bare facts of Bierce's Wikipedia page （could he ever have imagined such a thing？） state that one of his sons committed suicide and another died of what was essentially alcoholism。 His marriage was another casualty by divorce， after the discovery of "compromising letters from an admirer" in his wife's possession。 One can only peer through these facts and guess what it must have been like living with a war veteran who， in addition to a traumatic brain injury， was possessed of a bitterly satirical frame of mind。 While betrayal and faithlessness are inexcusable， it can't have been easy。 His stories read like an attempted exorcism of post-traumatic stress。 After reading the final piece （The Bivouac of the Dead）， his disappearance seems especially poignant。 。。。more

Jessica McDermitt ，

This is a collection of masterpieces。 Strange happenings， twists of fate， horrifying imagery， and just enough dark humor。 Highly effective commentary on war。

Jake Williams ，

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 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 BridgeA Son of the GodsKilled at ResacaThe Affair at Coulter's NotchThe Story of Conscience 。。。more

Lovmelovmycats Hart ，

Life sucks， war sucks even worse， bravery is like whatever; human beings are a horrible group of people。

Suprada Urval ，

Recommended By: Ryan Holiday， April 21 2019 newsletter

Neil ，

Clever， brutal stories。

John Parrott ，

BrilliantI only knew of his darkly funny 'Devil's Dictionary' and was pleasantly surprised at how readable and intense his mind-nineteenth century prose remains。 It is all short stories written from the viewpoint of those actually fighting the war。 The stories feature twisty endings and are replete with honor ， gallantry ， glory and ， yes， honor。 These epitomes have disappeared almost completely in our times and many won't enjoy or even believe that men have lost their lives for them as short a BrilliantI only knew of his darkly funny 'Devil's Dictionary' and was pleasantly surprised at how readable and intense his mind-nineteenth century prose remains。 It is all short stories written from the viewpoint of those actually fighting the war。 The stories feature twisty endings and are replete with honor ， gallantry ， glory and ， yes， honor。 These epitomes have disappeared almost completely in our times and many won't enjoy or even believe that men have lost their lives for them as short a period of time ago as 1861-1865。 Yet they did。 They did things differently in the past。 I highly recommend this short pure American jewel。 。。。more

Nathan Albright ，

Having already read many of Ambrose Bierce's civil war stories in other collections， much of this work was already familiar to me。  Those who are familiar with Bierce's writings in general have likely read such classics as "A Horseman In The Sky，" "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge，" "The Story Of A Conscience，" "Killed At Resaca，" or "One Kind Of Officer，" all of which are great stories and all of which are included here。  What this book does， though， is place these familiar and excellent stori Having already read many of Ambrose Bierce's civil war stories in other collections， much of this work was already familiar to me。  Those who are familiar with Bierce's writings in general have likely read such classics as "A Horseman In The Sky，" "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge，" "The Story Of A Conscience，" "Killed At Resaca，" or "One Kind Of Officer，" all of which are great stories and all of which are included here。  What this book does， though， is place these familiar and excellent stories in a context that demonstrates how it is that Bierce was so strongly affected by his Civil War experience and how he managed to enjoy being a soldier despite his dislike of authority。  One also gets a plausible account of the author's death in the Mexican Revolution as well as a discussion of the serious injuries he suffered and some of their consequences。  It is possible that a great deal of Bierce's known waspishness was due to the pain he suffered as a result of war wounds which gave him constant and massive headaches， which adds to at least some sympathy as far as his suffering is concerned。The first 75 pages or so of this book of a bit more than 250 pages is made up of the author's nonfictional writings on the Civil War， which amount to fragmentary materials that would these days likely have ended up in a memoir。  These essays include his writings about the second day of Shiloh， his experiences in Chickamauga， four days in Dixie， and his view of the crime of Pickett's Mill regarding his brigade and its attack on the Confederate lines， as well as a discussion of the Battle of Franklin and its context。  The rest of the book consists of Bierce's short stories about the Civil War， many of which were already familiar to me but still very worthwhile and enjoyable stories。  Among the stories that were not familiar with me， the story of "Parker Adderson， Philosopher" and spectacularly unsuccessful spy， was perhaps the most poignant， and "Jupiter Doke， Brigadier-General" was perhaps the most entertaining， an epistolary short story where a Union officer with greenhorn troops manages to kill and capture a large number of menacing rebels after having been abandoned by his superior and is then promoted as a result of his bravery。There are at least a few worthwhile insights that the reader can gain from these stories。  For one， the Civil War had an obvious and serious effect on Bierce as a person and as a writer。  The stories themselves dwell on questions of death and honor， the elusiveness of bravery， the futility of death， and of the occasional lies that people engage in， sometimes with very serious results。  One can see that Hazen's example as a brave but somewhat combative officer was an inspiration for Bierce's own character and conduct both in the war as a talented topographical officer and after the war as an able writer。  One can also see that the author manages not only to turn the Civil War into a question of morality tales or ghost stories or humorous stories， even occasionally adopting the language of blacks--something that would not pass muster today， but manages to turn his own experiences and observations into compelling literature that has managed to endure。  Perhaps Bierce would be gratified to know that his own observations on the Civil War as well as his own fictional stories taken from his experiences are still read and enjoyed today， but he would likely not be as enamored of the way that many of the lessons of that brutal war have not been learned or heeded by our nation or the larger world。 。。。more

Ties ，

Depressing but interesting and beautifully written。 If war and especially the US Civil War interest you its a 4 or even a 5 star read。 If they don't it's still ok。 Depressing but interesting and beautifully written。 If war and especially the US Civil War interest you its a 4 or even a 5 star read。 If they don't it's still ok。 。。。more

Jessica ，

"Egyptians， they worshiped the crocodile， or， like other Americans， adored themselves。"This quote was written not long after the Civil War。 So， we Americans had a self-love reputation even back then。 That makes me laugh！ Good to know， I will save this for my arsenal against people who mock my fellow Millennial's。 The stories are interesting with good morals to them （generally）， but they are also very sad。 Even more so considering they were likely based on real experiences。 "Egyptians， they worshiped the crocodile， or， like other Americans， adored themselves。"This quote was written not long after the Civil War。 So， we Americans had a self-love reputation even back then。 That makes me laugh！ Good to know， I will save this for my arsenal against people who mock my fellow Millennial's。 The stories are interesting with good morals to them （generally）， but they are also very sad。 Even more so considering they were likely based on real experiences。 。。。more

Mary Soon Lee ，

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 serve 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。 。。。more

Ellis Knox ，

With every review， someone had to mention he was known as "bitter Bierce" but I found him more ironic than bitter。 He loved to have a character be unknowingly killed by a former benefactor， or for a villain to perform a good deed， and so on。 I think today he'd be called realistic。Short story writers do not benefit， I think， from being collected。 Their stories do better when we encounter them at intervals， in various magazines--in other words， in the context for which they were written。 Reading t With every review， someone had to mention he was known as "bitter Bierce" but I found him more ironic than bitter。 He loved to have a character be unknowingly killed by a former benefactor， or for a villain to perform a good deed， and so on。 I think today he'd be called realistic。Short story writers do not benefit， I think， from being collected。 Their stories do better when we encounter them at intervals， in various magazines--in other words， in the context for which they were written。 Reading these stories in quick succession does tend to make one notice repetition （that boy was fond of the word "acclivity"）， and this lessens the impact of each story。 If you get this book， try reading no more than one story a month， with other reading in between。All that said， the writing is a marvel， particularly in two respects。 One is that realism。 Some of his descriptions of dead bodies are horrifying， even at this long remove。 He doesn't linger; the effect is more that of a jump scare in a movie， a sudden close-up that leaves you shaken。Balancing these moments are wonderfully funny lines。 Most are sardonic， and it helps to know the temper of the times， but boy howdy he gets off some zingers。 His writing is the sort where you lean forward into the text， eager for the next vivid image or memorable vignette。 Bierce does not keep the reader waiting。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Civil War Stories

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Civil War Stories&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Civil War Stories&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0