Ambrose Bierce enlisted in Company C, 9th Indiana Volunteer Infantry on April 24, 1861. He would fight in the Eastern Theater during the early months of the war. At the Battle of Rich Mountain, he would receive favorable attention for removing a wounded comrade. Bierce would spend the latter part of the war fighting in the Western Theater and would see action at Shiloh and Atlanta. He would achieve the rank of first lieutenant during the war. After the war, he would write several books about his experiences. I plan on providing some quotes, from his writings, over the coming months.
“When battles are going on in open ground it frequently occurs that the opposing lines, confronting each other within a stone’s throw for hours, hug the earth as closely as if they loved it. The line officers in their proper places flatten themselves no less, and the field officers, their horses killed or sent to the rear, crouch beneath the infernal canopy of hissing lead and screaming iron without a thought of personal dignity.”(i)
Yes, the Civil War was terrible. I’m sure this was very common as the soldiers and officers tried to avoid becoming another casualty.
(i) Bierce, Ambrose, Shadows of Blue and Gray, published by Forge in March 2002, Pg. 98.
