Discuss the representations of the American Civil War in
the stories of Ambrose Bierce.
Is there truth in the
stories?
How do the stories affect their audience?
What representations of the Civil War does Bierce present? How does this affect the current audience?
What has influenced Bierce to write these stories?/
In what way do the stories represent the American Civil War?
How has the wider community responded to these stories?
Why are the stories so dark and dismal?/
How do the stories affect their audience?
What representations of the Civil War does Bierce present? How does this affect the current audience?
What has influenced Bierce to write these stories?/
In what way do the stories represent the American Civil War?
How has the wider community responded to these stories?
Why are the stories so dark and dismal?/
Ambrose Bierce was an American journalist and short-story
writer who was born on 24th of June 1842. He disappeared in late 1913 or early
1914 after visiting some of the battlefields he fought at in his youth. He
wrote fictional stories detailing his experiences of war.
Bierce displays throughout his stories the idea of country
first, family second, history third. The soldiers are very patriotic and
through this they make decisions that affect their families in negative ways.
This is because they believe in the greater nation and the side for which they
are fighting. When a big battle is fought, the think only in the moment and do
not think of national or personal futures. Emphasising the need for survival,
this idea conveys the ways in which people will act for something they believe
in and also to survive. The desperate actions present a grim picture of the war.
Each story is conveyed through the point of view of a Union
soldier. This is significant as he himself fought on behalf of the Union States
and he was greatly affected by the War. His stories appear to promote the Union
side. His purpose therefore, appears to be to propagate the ideals of the Union
government and give glory to the states, as well as the fallen soldiers. These
purposes are ironic, as Bierce was a cynic and appeared sceptical towards society
as a whole. The following definitions emphasise the cynical nature of Bierce:
"Battle, n. A method of untying with the teeth a
political knot that would not yield to the tongue."[1]
"Government, n. A modern Chronos who devours his own
children. The priest-hood are charged with the duty of preparing them for his
tooth."[2]
"War, n. A
by-product of the arts of peace. The most menacing political conditions is a
period of international amity."
Major themes which influence the cynical nature of Bierce's
stories are his childhood and of course, his experiences during the American
Civil War. He did not care much for his family, as he believed himself to be
neglected. He disliked his brothers greatly, writing in a column about his
brother Aurelius who had died, "A life like this so bright and shining an
example that we are almost sorry he died."[3]
However, he did appreciate his father's library. He once mentioned that
"All that I have I owe to his books."[4]
suggesting that the library was a very heavy influence. His Uncle Lucius,
appears to have inspired Bierce to despise slavery. Under Lucius' guidance,
Bierce joined the Kentucky Military Institute.[5]
This education provided Bierce with knowledge about "draftmanship and
cartography".[6]
The War, in which Bierce used these skills, showed him the fragility of life
and the horrors which humans condemn each other. This is most often viewed as the central
cause of Bierce's cynicism. OR "All his experiences in the war are
commonly seen as the source of his cynical realism."[7]
The short stories of Ambrose Bierce contain genuine
historical setting mixed with a fictional plotline. For example, One of the
Missing has the names of prominent historical
figures such as Brigadier General William Tecumseh Sherman who is plainly named
in the story as "General Sherman"[8].
It also depicts the "Confederate retreat"[9]
at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain through the character of "orderly"[10]
Jerome Searing, who "pushed forward across the line of abandoned pits"[11]
which is described as "miles of trenchlines"[12]
in the information sheet The Dallas Road
Community and the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. He describes the job of
"orderly" as a job which covers "a multitude of duties"[13].
In Two Military Executions he correctly mentions "the spring of the year
1862"[14]
in which "General Buell's army lay in camp" before the "victory
at Shiloh"[15].
He also states that the army was "raw, untrained"[16]
and had met "hard service...[in]...the mountains of Western Virginia and
Kentucky"[17]. A
Tough Tussle portrays a "silent camp of a whole Federal brigade"[18]
in a "forest in western Virginia"[19]
during the "autumn of 1861"[20].
This story is about a man, Captain Byring, who has a fear of the dead,
encounter the supernatural when a Confederate body is near him when he is alone
in the forest. He ends up dead with his own sword "thrust through the heart[21]"
as the result of "a tough tussle"[22].
These stories convey a sense of the historical nature of the stories of Bierce.
In One of the Missing,
Bierce refers to his own injury which occurred on the 23rd of June 1864 at
Kennesaw Mountain[23]
in this sentence: "A smart wrap to the head from a flying fragment of the
splintered post, incurred simultaneously with the frightfully sudden shock to
the nervous system."[24]
Bierce, however, was hit by a bullet, not a splinter of wood. Through this, he
gives his audience an idea of what it would be like to be shot or injured
whilst at war.
Likewise, in his non-fiction recount of the Battle of Shiloh
in What I Saw of Shiloh, he gives a
dismal description of what battle was like. "Here in 1862 were some fields
and a house or two; now there are a national cemetery and other
improvements"[25]
somewhat humorously give an indication of the loses which occurred at Shiloh. According
to Roy Morris Jr., the casualties were "more than had died in the
Revolutionary War, the war of 1812, and the Mexican War put together."[26]
He also goes on to say that "The sights and sounds of Shiloh would stay
with Bierce for the rest of his life, occasioning some of his finest writing
and foreshadowing and directly influencing an entire generation of American
writers, men whose own take on war owed a great deal to his seminal
works."[27] Furthermore,
Bierce portrays the battle as both glorious and dreadful, which, one can
assume, is a description which can be applied to the whole war.
Bierce also portrays men from the South joining the Union
army. This is shown in The Affair at
Coulter's Notch and A Horseman in the
Sky. In both stories, the result of having a family divided by the war is
devastating. "Do you happen to know that Captain Coulter is from the South?"[28]
foreshadows the wreckage in the future. At the end of The Affair at Coulter's Notch, we discover that Coulter's home has
been largely destroyed by guns. He is found cradling his wife and child in the basement
which is not bomb-proof. He was also involved in an argument with his extended
family, just like the main character in A
Horseman in the Sky. In this story however, the main character shoots his
father's horse, causing both his father and the horse to fall off a cliff to
their death. The shock of this occurrence extends both to the young soldier and
his commanding officer. These two stories demonstrate the destructive nature of
war, which Bierce himself has experienced. This portrayal also conveys the
length to which soldiers carried out their duties despite familial connection.
"After firing
his shot, Private Carter Druse reloaded his rifle and resumed his watch. Ten
minutes had hardly passed when a Federal sergeant crept cautiously to him on
hands and knees. Druse neither turned his head nor looked at him, but lay
without motion or sign of recognition.
'Did you fire?' the
sergeant whispered.
'Yes.'
'At what?'
'A horse. It was
standing on yonder rock - pretty far out. You see it is no longer there. It
went over the cliff.'
The man's face was
white, but he showed no other sign of emotion. Having answered, he turned away
his eyes and said no more. The sergeant did not understand.
'See here, Druse?' he
said, after a moment's silence, 'it's no use making a mystery. I order you to
report. Was there anybody on the horse?'
'Yes.'
'Well?'
'My father.'
There are subtle differences between the fictitious and
non-fiction works of Ambrose Bierce. In the historically accurate recounts he
tells, he is indeed precise. In fact, in all his works he is historically
accurate. Throughout One of the Missing,
he gives specific details, dates, names and places. This is in parallel with What I Saw of Shiloh and A Little of Chickamauga. In some of his
works though, he gives very little historical detail such as A Horseman in the Sky and The Story of a Conscience. These genuine
historical elements help to create a perfect setting for the story. In his
factitious works, it shows how he has a keen eye for detail where his past is
concerned. By checking the dates and descriptions of the land, it is possible
to discern that he does work with facts. It is also assuring to know that he
can remember the layout of the land as he was for a time, a topographical
engineer[30]
for the army. This further adds
authenticity to both his fictitious and factual stories.
In his factual works, it appears that his "purpose not
instruction, but entertainment"[31].
But in Bivouac of the Dead it appears
that his purpose is to remind people of the fallen heroes who died in the War.
Bierce mentions that he finds such memorable intentions illogical, as "it
occurs that one thinks of the contradiction involved in 'honoring the memory'
of him of whom no memory remains to honor"[32].
Bierce does not appear to use any other historical sources other than his own
memory. He is reminded of the war when something triggers the memory and he is
compelled to write about it. He does so in an effort to relay the horrors of
what he encountered. Through these recounts, he appears to muse on the
pointlessness of the young dying. He also conveys the joy a soldier feels when
he wins a battle, and the anticipation and fear beforehand. His fictional
stories reflect what is written about in the factual. the subtle difference
being that the fictional is mostly written in third person compared to the
recounts which are written in first.
What I Saw of Shiloh is a useful source in discerning the
happenings at Shiloh on "the sixth day of April, 1862". It also
brings to light the fact that "Little negroes of not very clearly defined
status and function"[33]
were involved in the Union army. It also provides very useful information on
the topic of the movements of the generals Grant and Buell as well as the
Confederate forces led by Johnston. He describes how Buell's "thirty
thousand men was moving from Nashville to join"[34]
Grant. He describes the steamboats as "looking very much like
turtles" as only a veteran of the battle could. The "woman"
whose "mission, as she understood it, was to inspire the failing heart
with courage" was possibly the wife of Brigadier General William H. L.
Wallace whose name was Ann.[35]
This shows a keen eye for useful aspects which he then continued relaying the
final moments of the battle.
"there swept
past us and over us into the open field a long regiment with fixed bayonets and
rifles on the right soldier. Another followed, and another; two- three -
four!...Then for the first time we note the silence of the whole region is not
comparative, but absolute."[36]
Ambrose Bierce has had a significant impact on the literary
world. His works and life have been the basis of many new works, such as The Old Gringo directed by Luis Puenzo[37],
Unlovable[38]
and Execution at Dawn[39].
The Old Gringo is loosely based on
Bierce's disappearance between December 1913 and early 1914. There are many
speculations as to the fate of Bierce. Amongst the most obscure are rumours
that he became a vampire or went through a portal to another world.[40]
The video clip, Unlovable by Babybird
follows Bierce's most famous story, An Occurrence
at Owl Creek Bridge. Execution at
Dawn[41]
is based on two of the author's stories, Parker
Addison, Philosopher and Story of A
Conscience. He has also been said to have heavily influenced H.P.
Lovecraft, L.P. Hartly, John Collier, Shirley Jackson and Roald Dahl amongst
the writers of the supernatural.[42]
The amount of new literary work that has been created conveys the lasting
influence Bierce has had on literary circles through writing about topics which
can allude to current-day situations.
Amongst supernatural writers Bierce is also prevalent. In
some of his supernatural works, it appears that there is a subconscious or
intended references to the mental state of people in stressful situations. This
appears to be allusions to soldiers in battle. The Damned Thing is one such story, where an invisible creature
harasses Hugh Morgan until, in the company of a journalist, it kills him. The
damned thing appears to be a connotation of the war. The thing is at war with
Hugh Morgan as both refuse to leave. But instead of the focus being slavery and
other political arguments, it was about a hut and a small scrap of land. It
also shows how one may be "psychologically crushed by the weight of
fear"[43].
This statement conveys the portrayal of the soldiers in Bierce's Civil War
stories in comparison to his supernatural stories.
Bierce's stories convey to the reader something of what it
is like to experience war. It also, at times, integrates the supernatural
element for which he was also famous, for a more horrifying and entertaining
read. From a poor Ohio farm boy, to a successful and famous journalist and writer,
who has shown the repugnant and enticing nature of death to his audience. This is more obvious
in A Tough Tussle. Writing about
death gives a universal feel to the stories, which is why they are so popular
now, and have had been remade into many differing adaptations. This allows for
different perspectives on the one topic. War is also a widespread concept,
which most nations have had the pleasure of experiencing. Through reading
Bierce's Civil War works, one can determine the changes in warfare when
compared to the present day. The array of stories show how many men fought in the
Civil War, as well as giving an indication of the same for previous wars and
battles. War and hope are both universal themes which keep the audience[/masses]
reading.
Throughout his life, Bierce referred to the American Civil
War as he experienced it. His representations of the War are dismal, but
through their horrific portrayal of war, draw the audience in. Mixed with
fiction is the truth. Most of his stories are of a specific battle. Only the
battles in which he participated are written about. This gives added
authenticity to his fictional works. These works are also the inspiration for a
myriad of authors, directors and musicians such as ......, ......, Luis Puenzo
and Babybird.
[1]
Unabridged Devil's Dictionary pg 24
[2]
Unabridged Devil's Dictionary pg 99
[3]
Alone in Bad Company pg 14
[4]
Alone in Bad Company pg
[5]
Alone in Bad Company pg 18
[6]
Alone in Bad Company pg 18
[7] http://biercephile.com/life.cfm
21.08.2012
[8]
One of the Missing
[9]
One of the Missing
[10]
One of the Missing
[11]
One of the Missing
[12] Angela
Tooley, The Dallas Road Community and the
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain,
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park,
Experience Your America™
[13]
One of the Missing
[14]
Two Military Executions
[15]
Two Military Executions
[16]
Two Military Executions
[17]
Two Military Executions
[18] A
Tough Tussle
[19] A
Tough Tussle
[20] A
Tough Tussle
[21] A
Tough Tussle
[22] A
Tough Tussle
[23] The
Ambrose Bierce Project, http://www.ambrosebierce.org/main.html, Copyright
2005-2012, Craig A. Warren, last visited 16.08.2012
[24] One
of the Missing
[25] Ambrose
Gwinnett Bierce, What I Saw of Shiloh, http://www.ambrosebierce.org/main.html
[26] Roy
Morris Jr., Ambrose Bierce Alone in Bad Company
[27] Alone
in Bad Company,
[28]
An Affair at Coulter's Notch
[29] A
Horseman in the Sky
[31] A
Little of Chickamauga
[32]
Bivouac of the Dead
[33]
What I Saw of Shiloh
[34]
What I saw of Shiloh
[35]
Alone in Bad Company pg 3-
[36]
What I Saw of Shiloh
[37]IMDB
Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098022/
[38]
Youtube
[39] Ambrose Bierce in the News
[40] Ancient Aliens
[41] Ambrose Bierce in the News
[42]
Supernatural Literature of the World
[43] Supernatural Literature of the World An
Encyclopaedia Vol. 1 A-F, edited by
S.T. Joshi and Stefan Dziemianowisc, pg 109-113
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