Ambrose Bierce at War. Ben Crawford. Ambrose Bierce utilized satire and cynicism throughout his work centered on the

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1 Crawford 1 Ambrose Bierce at War Ben Crawford Ambrose Bierce utilized satire and cynicism throughout his work centered on the American Civil War. Two of his short stories, A Horseman in the Sky and An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, demonstrate a particular contemptuous attitude towards the war and war in general. In these and other stories, Bierce used his sharp writing and abrasive turns to subtly explore the four cause traditions; what lies beneath is a subtle criticism of war and how it can disrupt and destroy lives. Why was he so critical of a conflict in which he voluntarily joined, and how was his growing dismay towards the Civil War revealed in his writing? Many young men were joining the fight between the north and south to defend their ideals, to save their interpretation of a great nation. Though Bierce joined the battle, he didn t intend to fight the war, he aimed at fighting the very idea of war through his gritty and honest writing. In late June of 1842, Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born in Indiana into a large family. He was tenth in line to his siblings and often overlooked by his parents. In his article, Ambrose Bierce s Civil War: One Man s Morbid Vision, Allen Guelzo paints a picture of young Ambrose as an unmanageable and frustrated boy: Ambrose did everything he could to make it harder. He rebelled frequently and was frequently whipped. He rejected the old-time religion of his family and grew up suspicious, introverted, and resistant to authority (Guelzo). Ambrose fought for rank in his large family and struggled to stake his place amongst his brothers and sisters. He could never fully capture his father s attention: there were too many competing egos in the form of brothers and sisters for Marcus Aurelius (Ambrose s father) to shine any

2 Crawford 2 paternal warmth down to Ambrose, and Ambrose never forgave him for it, (Guelzo). It seemed the nickname Bitter Bierce could have developed its roots much earlier than the war. Bierce s longing for parental feedback and support has a way of bleeding into his stories. In Bierce s, A Horseman in the Sky, the main character, Carter Druse, informs his father of his intent to join the Union regiment that was marching near their home. The father disapproves of his boy embracing the Union cause but nonetheless, he respectfully bids him farewell saying, Well, go, sir, and whatever may occur do what you conceive to be your duty, (Bierce 30). Bierce joined the Civil War mere days after the fighting had begun, it would seem, in an attempt to escape his father s negligence in search of the different promises of reward and recognition which the army might offer. In doing so, however, the young Bierce discovered the blood and sacrifice which live alongside the rewards of battle. Young men such as Bierce joined the war not only for a particular ideal or political stance but sometimes for the escape or experience. Rachel Brett and Irma Specht explain in their book, Young Soldiers: Why They Choose to Fight, that although war creates many problems, it also provides opportunities. For those seeking an escape from home, whether escape from abuse or exploitation or as an act of rebellion or merely seeking adventure, the possibilities, and the temptations are different if you are in a warlike situation, (Brett and Specht 13). Bierce was escaping his unsatisfactory and fruitless life of boredom in search of adventure, and he found it by enlisting in the Union army. Well into the conflict, Bierce would soon realize the naivety of his choice. In the spring of 1862, Bierce now a sergeant major would encounter war in its unstoppable fury:

3 Crawford 3 What he saw of war at Shiloh deeply shocked him, and the shock stayed with him for the rest of his life. He had seen where a forest fire had incinerated men immobilized by wounds: at every point lay the bodies, half buried in ashes; some in the unlovely looseness of attitude denoting sudden death by the bullet, but by far the greater number in postures of agony that told of the tormenting flame. (Guelzo 3) Bierce was beginning to realize there are no winners in war; soldiers on both sides lost their lives in brutal and excruciating ways. It could be said that given the proximity of friend to foe during the civil war, those enlisting could choose to fight for either the north or south depending on where their allegiances lied. Like all other conflicts, both sides of the civil war possessed reasoning for their objection to one another. Four major cause traditions were developed in relation to the motives behind those involved in the Civil War. The Reconciliation Cause tradition praised the nation that arose after the war and wished to silence the African American in society and embrace the virtues revealed by white men during the war. The Lost Cause tradition demonstrated the pride of southerners under the impression that the war was stolen from them and that they fought against insurmountable odds. In his article, Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: Hollywood and the Civil War since Glory, Gary Gallagher describes the Union Cause and Emancipation Cause: The Union Cause tradition, which predominated among white northerners, portrayed the war as an effort to maintain a viable republic in the face of secessionist actions that threatened both the work of the Founders and, by

4 Crawford 4 extension, the future of democracy in a world that had yet to embrace the concept of self-rule. The Emancipation Cause tradition, preeminently the work of African Americans but also embraced by some white northerners, interpreted the war as a struggle to liberate four million slaves and remove a cancerous influence on American society and politics. (Gallagher) These were emotionally charged intentions that even though those fighting had yet to classify their particular favored cause, were filling the hearts of each warrior, putting them in battles in their own back yards. It seems likely that since Bierce s home was deep in northern territory, and he spent some time working for an abolitionist newspaper (he also lived in the editor s home), he would favor the Union and Emancipation cause traditions as he fought in the Union ranks. Conversely, Bierce gave both sides a fair amount of criticism, and took literary shots at their callousness towards one another in addition to the vanity displayed within the ranks and on the battlefield, so his decision to join the Union cause could be seen as convenient. Ironically, as Bierce makes these observations, he himself is climbing the ranks in the army and is gaining respect amongst his fellow soldiers. In his article Disciplinary Conditioning and Self-Surveillance in Ambrose Bierce s War Fiction, Peter J. Morrone explores how Bierce still maintained his skepticism of the significance in succeeding in a fighting army: Bierce's protagonists under observation are more inclined to obey orders and assume dangerous battlefield risks if their actions will grant them initiation into the martial community, bring honor to their name, and/or restore a sense of manhood threatened by an influential female player. Yet, in typical Biercian

5 Crawford 5 fashion, tragic consequences concurrently may be attached to visibility, as some anti-biercian heroes falter miserably under the pressure of being watched, thereby inflicting upon themselves shame, disgrace, or even death. (Morrone 312) Such is the fate of Bierce s character Lieutenant Herman Brayle in Killed at Resaca, whose foolish actions on the battlefield result in a less than courageous death, disappointing his love, Marian Mendenhall. To cope with his introduction into this new and violent world, Bierce utilized his sardonic wit and cynical pen to unveil the humanness of war, and beneath their gallantry, the humanness of mortal men. Many of his stories tell of the harsh fighting and subsequent gruesome deaths of Union and Confederate soldiers, some of which Bierce might assume, they believe themselves in full control of their mortality, and god-like in their ability to traverse the bloody landscape of war while still maintaining their nobility and presence. Bierce narrates the story of one such man who, in an effort to impede the progress of Union soldiers as they moved closer to his land, made plans to disable a bridge near his home. The Union army sentenced the man to death by hanging for his interference, and the story begins the preparations to carry out the task. In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, the main character is a southern gentleman named Peyton Farquhar, who owns a plantation in the south and seemingly embraces the model of southern custom and genteel living. The Union soldiers, however, are portrayed as cold and focused on the task, the company faced the bridge, staring stonily, motionless the captain stood with folded arms, silent, observing the work of his subordinates, but making no sign, (Bierce 35). Bierce chose to keep our emotions in rhythm

6 Crawford 6 with those of Farquhar, allowing for the Union soldiers to play the role of death s unsympathetic hands. Bierce places Farquhar in the role of protagonist and allows the reader a view of the convicted man s thoughts and fantasies. As the sergeant steps aside to allow Farquhar s neck to break from the rope around his neck, the reader is taken on an emotional ride as our hero makes his thrilling escape from the clutches of the evil enemy when the rope breaks sending him into the water below: He [Farquhar] was not conscious of an effort, but a sharp pain in his wrist apprised him that he was trying to free his hands. He gave the struggle his attention, as an idler might observe the feat of a juggler, without interest in the outcome. What splendid effort! what magnificent, what superhuman strength, (Bierce 37). Bierce makes Farquhar into a superhero as he defies the odds and escapes not just the hangman s noose, but also a succession of cannon blasts and shots from a line of infantrymen. This story is Bierce s unique take on the Lost Cause in that even when the odds are stacked against him, Farquhar is still courageous and even under the impression he has escaped. This delusional success is short lived as the story ends abruptly when we realize it was merely a fantasy and Peyton Farquhar is indeed, dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek Bridge, (Bierce 40). For a short time, Bierce allows for a romantic view of war quite possibly the same feeling he possessed the day he enlisted.

7 Crawford 7 In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and A Horseman in the Sky, Bierce blankets the reader in comfort over several pages and then abruptly rips off the covering, harshly unveiling the raw truth: with all Bierce s tales, irony abounds and endings are anything but predictable. He delights in introducing us to strong men of character (ex. Peyton Farquhar, Carter Druse) handsome, valiant, imperturbable soldiers and turning their world upside down. Good intentions guarantee nothing, (Soodalter). So it is with the very nature of war: we can enter with grandiose demeanors and good intentions, and exit with an empty soul. Ambrose s search for meaning and personal significance was often a disappointment. His early life left him shoved to the outskirts of his own family and he lacked the reassurance of someone he respected, believing in his potential. To fill this void, he joins the army, and quickly excels, earning higher ranks and admiration from upstanding military leaders. Ambrose was receiving the recognition he had craved for so long, but it came with a price; he would have to witness unimaginable pain and death as a result. This is the tragic source of his stories. Bierce used his body to fight in the war; he used his pen to fight the war. Works Cited Bierce, Ambrose. Civil War Stories. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., Print.

8 Crawford 8 Brett, Rachel and Irma Specht. Young Soldiers: Why They Choose to Fight. Boulder: Lynne Reinner Publishers, Inc., Print. Gallagher, Gary W. "Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: Hollywood and the Civil War since Glory." American Historical Association 46.5 (2008). Web. 27 June Guelzo, Allan. "Ambrose Bierce s Civil War: One Man s Morbid Vision." Civil War Times (2005). Web. 19 June Morrone, Peter J. "Disciplinary Conditioning and Self-Surveillance in Ambrose Bierce's War Fiction." The Midwest Quarterly 54.3 (2013): Web. 20 June Soodalter, Ron. "'Bitter Bierce' and the macabre side of war." America's Civil War (2009): Web. 20 June 2015.