NEW!!! Fifth Paragraph

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?"[1] 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 over 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.'

The sergeant rose to his feet and walked away. 'Good God!' he said."[2]

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[1] An Affair at Coulter's Notch

[2] A Horseman in the Sky


I am curious as to whether or not I should include the extract of A Horseman in the Sky. I shall decide on a later date and hopefully in consult with another.