[.ca] Civil War Stories (ISBN 0486280381)

Wonderful, if that's the word!:
This is a wonderful book, for a number of reasons. Pierce was one of the few men from the civil war that put into the words the horror was existed from the war between brothers. Also, his images are bang on. Ask any VN vet, or Korean, or WW2. These stories should be in every high school history class. It might make it a bit harder to go to war.

Thoroughly modern, completely enthralling:
You would never think of these stories as having been written in the 19th century, but they were. Ambrose Bierce was a Civil War veteran who seems almost to have tried to exorcise the horrors of the war he lived by writing about it. The result is gripping and utterly believable; the style is immediate, you-are-there, not-one-word-too-many. Not the flowery elaborate style you might have associated with Victorian prose. The results convey the horrors of war as well as anything written in your lifetime. The story about the little boy who gets lost near his home when it is surrounded by a battle...I don't think I'll ever forget it. I won't spoil if for you but you've got to read it. If you think that 130+-year-old stories have nothing to say to you, give these a try, you will see otherwise. Not to mention the Dover version is NOT EVEN TWO DOLLARS at the time of this writing. You spent more than the price of this book on your coffee this morning, I'll bet. What have you got to lose? Add it to a Supersaver order, there won't even be a shipping charge. Best pocket change you will ever have spent on a book.

This is good...:
Amrose Bierce's Civil War Stories is an excellent and unique book. No, it's not a narrative history like Shelby Foote's or Catton's books; no it's not a biography or autobiography; no, it's not a socio-economic discussion of the causes of the civil war; no, it's not a strategy and tactics book of a particular battle. This book is something altogether different and unique. It starts with Ambrose Bierce. One, the guy can write, as he was an able journalist and satirist for many years. Two, the guy was there. And it is this combination that makes his stories unique. Take "What I Saw Of Shiloh", for example. There are no discussions of tactics, no discussions of glory and honor. Only confusion and chaos, shivering wet and cold, unrelenting noise and fear, and gruesome death. Yet through all this, there is a satire and humor that will evoke a smirk from the astute reader.

It takes you back to a bygone era:
What is remarkable in itself is a firsthand account of a famous American War, The Civil War, written by a legendary author. It is an old world, almost archaic, style of writing that was difficult for me to read, and to understand the underlying stories. At least one of Ambrose Bierce's classic writings, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek", was produced into a truly amazing Twilight Zone episode. I personally didn't enjoy the book that much, and I don't naturally gravitate to these subject matter type of books, but I bent old attitudes and habits of thinking by reading a page or two a day. I'm glad I bought it and read it.

Arguably the Finest American Short Story Writer of All Time:
I know fans of Poe, Hemmingway, Thurber, and others could argue with me on the above title and the review below. However, please keep in mind that these are simply my opinions and reflect my respect for this excellent writer. Bierce's Civil War stories are simply the best in that genre, with "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge" possibly being the most famous American short story ever written. The "surprise ending" was often exercised by him in many of his stories and many first-time readers will undoubtedly be jolted by his prose. This is a man who personally experienced the horror of the war he so vividly describes and the anguish of its inevitable aftermath. Bierce fought in some of the bloodiest, most ferocious campaigns of the Civil War, nearly losing his life in several of them. He was duly decorated for his heroism, but it certainly left an indelible scar in his mind which is reflected in his writing. Bierce's stories are not war stories; they are indictments of war and its immense madness. None of them reflect any glamour or glory; they are coldly realistic. The protagonist in each case experiences some form tragedy and/or anguish resulting from the war's effects. One of Bierce's final Civil War stories entitled, "A Bivouac for the Dead" is not fictitious, but a testimony to the soldiers who fought in the war and a tribute to their memories. It is a rare instance of a positive story coming from a writer who made his reputation as a solemn, sardonic, often negative-thinking person. No matter what people think of Bierce, every story I've read by him is vivid in their contents: setting, character development, plot. His prose is very succinct and often extremely graphic (ie: the wounded soldiers from "Chiquaumaga"), but doubtless very attention-grabbing. Bierce's other short stories (horror, tall tales) also carry his signature negativity and often brilliant and biting humor. However, I think his Civil War stories are the true reflection of his storytelling genius. This book highly recommended to Civil War buffs and anyone who wants to read and learn about the short story format.