Ambrose Bierce served in the Union Army's 9th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. The way the author describes the bullets, cannonballs, and grapeshot hitting the water around Farquhar makes me wonder: Do you all think that maybe he had an experience during the war where Confederate forces shot at him while he was swimming in water?
P.S. If you don't know what grapeshot is, here are a couple pictures: (When fired from a cannon, the balls scatter over a wider area. This was widely used for naval warfare as well, because unlike canister shot (which was a metal canister with pistol balls and shards of lead packed inside), it had the ability to punch through the sides of a ship (at close range) and inflict tremendous damage.)
It is certainly possible, Braden. I've done some reading on the author and I've found that Ambrose Bierce served as a soldier for almost the entire duration of the Civil War and had been involved in some heavy combat in some of its bloodiest battles, including Shiloh, Missionary Ridge, and Chickamauga.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for the description of a grapeshot. They sound extremely dangerous, having "the ability to punch through the sides of a ship (at close range)," and it sounds a little insane that such a weapon would be used against a person.
Canister shot was used more often against what the military calls "soft targets"-ranks of infantry. Grapeshot also served the purpose, but Canister shot can fit more pistol balls (and sharp objects) in its canister, which means it can take down more soldiers.
DeleteThanks, Braden. That makes sense. Do you think that the fact that, in the story, grapeshot is used against Farquhar also hints that the events Farquhar witnesses are not reality? Would a Union encampment surrounding a bridge in Alabama even have access to such weapons?
DeleteThe story says in Chapter 2, paragraph 3, that the Union soldiers were "getting ready for another advance." Usually, stockpiling weapons and ammunition was a part of that. So the Union forces very well could have had access to such devastating firepower.
DeleteThat makes sense, Braden. But still, would the Union forces really waste invaluable grapeshot on a single runaway "arsonist"? Does that sound a little unlikely to you, as we already the events of Chapter III were not reality?
DeleteNice work on asking a really intriguing question and showing us what the grapeshot looked like. I never thought about that! It is possible that Bierce had that type of experience, especially considering he served in the Union Army. I guess anything can happen in war... I think it is interesting that in real life, he served in the Union Army, but in this story, the main character, Fahrquhar was for the South. Do you think there was some purpose for that, or is it just a coincidence?
ReplyDeleteI think it's probably just a coincidence, but I could very well be wrong.
DeleteYea I thought it was a coincidence also. The other way would be too unlikely!!
DeleteIt is also possible that Ambrose Bierce wrote this story from the perception of a Southern Confederate to possibly humanize them to his Northern audience.
ReplyDeleteYou see, as well as the Southerners hating the Yanks after the Civil War, some Northerners also hated Southerners, and Ambrose Bierce might have written this story to show that the "enemy" were people too.
I really like how you used the word "humanize." You are right about the amount of hatred after the war. I mean some people from the North hated the South and vice versa. That is a fantastic thought about how the enemy are actual people. They have actual souls, and they can feel emotion just like anyone else. That may be a reason for writing this story.
DeleteThat’s a good point Joshua. I had never thought of that. Nice post Braden! That paragraph caught my attention too. Thanks for including pictures. I think the idea that Ambrose Bierce experiencing something like what he wrote in this story is a very valid conclusion. He explains and describes it very well. So I wouldn’t be surprised if he experienced it firsthand!
ReplyDeleteI liked your pictures to help me understand grapeshot. I think he saw grapeshot used near the water and so he could describe this in detail.
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