Bull Run

“The church society gave the men Bibles, each inscribed with ‘Fight the good fight.’ Girls whose beaus hadn’t joined shamed them by giving out flowers to soldiers.”

This passage shows the pressure society puts on men to fight and be brave. While many men enlist because of romanticized feelings or ideology, many others join with less fervor because it is expected of them. Men are not allowed to express their fears or hesitations about going to war, and women add to this tension by holding idealized views of soldiers and the battlefield.

“I was eleven years old and desperate to kill a Yankee before the supply ran out. It seemed that all Georgia had joined except me.”

Toby’s desire to kill a Northerner shows his innocence and naiveté. He does not explain why he wants to kill, only that he is scared of being left out of the war. For Toby, the war is something exciting that he does not want to miss, showing that he does not yet understand how terrible war is and is merely energized by the public’s passion for going to war.

“How intently the men studied the art of killing. With what care their officers refined their skills through drilling, precision parades, mock charges. And yet, when the bugles are blown in earnest, how shocked we are that men bleed and die, as if we’d not striven day after day toward that very end.”

Dr. Rye explains the irony of war. Men know how to kill each other and train to do it effectively in battle, yet the death and injury war causes is still surprising. This shows that the horror of war is not fully realized until it is experienced. It also shows that society does not truly learn from its mistakes, because it remembers how to wage wars but not the carnage the wars bring.

“I’d come upon an officer, no doubt one of the many inexperienced civilians elected to his post. He was poring over a book, and was practicing shouting orders to the trees. The scene filled me with foreboding.”

By using the word “foreboding,” the author foreshadows that the Union will be defeated in the upcoming battle. His word choice of “inexperienced civilians” reminds the reader that many of the officers and soldiers are not professionals and, therefore, do not know what they are doing. The author uses the imagery of an officer rehearsing his role by shouting at trees to show the absurdity of the officer’s greenness.

“To be a Negro living in the midst of whites, unknown to them, is to be a ghost spying on the living. Oftentimes I felt I must have joined the Southern army by mistake.”

Because the other soldiers think that Gideon is white like they are, they say and do racist things in front of him. Gideon’s observation that “most of them said they were fighting against secession, not against slavery” (39) shows that for many Northerners, the war is not about freeing the slaves. His feeling that he could be among the Southerners because of the racism he sees the Northern soldiers displaying when they think no Black people are around them helps the reader understand that there are racists on both sides of the war.

“The regimental bands all blared. Standards fluttered. The summer sun glinted on bayonets by the thousands. We could no more keep from signing than from breathing.”

The author uses descriptive imagery here to create a joyous mood as A. B.’s regiment leaves for battle. This scene creates a contrast by showing the soldiers’ feelings before, during, and after the battle, once they experience what battle is really like.

“The line for portraits grew suddenly long. The men looked glum. They knew they might die, and seemed desperate to see that they would live on, framed and set upon a table.”

After seeing wounded soldiers return by ambulance, the Union soldiers in Centreville start to understand that they may truly be injured or killed. Nathaniel’s photos act as a symbol of a type of attainable “immortality.” The men want their image to live in their homes even if their bodies do not make it back. The soldiers’ shifting mood parallels that of the novel, which becomes more ominous as the big battle nears.

“I couldn’t help but notice the number of men clustered about the chaplains’ tents. Some were shedding their sins, some dictating letters to the scribbling chaplains.”

This scene shows a contrast between the soldiers’ behavior right before battle and their behavior weeks and months before. Earlier in the novel, soldiers were joking around and drinking, but now they have turned to religion in fear. Their behavior shows that the soldiers are more serious now.

“It struck me as strange that nearly all the legions of soldiers camped around me considered themselves to be whole-souled Christians, had heard preaching every Sunday of their lives, had memorized piles of Scripture verses, and yet were ready to break the commandment against killing the moment the order was given.”

Shem feels that there is a contradiction between the Christian faith and the very nature of war, because it requires killing. He recognizes the irony of the soldiers’ behavior, showing that humans often behave in hypocritical or contradictory ways. The men claim to be Christians yet spend their time gambling before reading their Bibles and turn to prayer before killing others.

“The horses, wise as they were, had no wars. They could scarcely believe it when Gulliver told them that soldiers were men paid to kill each other.”

This passage builds on the novel’s motif of horses. From the horses’ point of view, it is unbelievable that not only do men wage war, but they are also paid to do so. The horses’ innocence about war and what soldiers do makes human behavior seem unnatural and cruel.

“I’d two congressmen and their wives in the coach, bound all the way to Centreville to watch the thrashing of the Rebs. All dressed in their best and fitted out with parasols and opera glasses, not forgetting two hampers of food, and champagne for toasting the victory.”

This passage highlights two things. First, the way people are treating the battle as a picnic shows that they do not take things seriously. The author is using irony: The war will be anything but a “picnic,” and the people have no idea that it will last for years. Second, because the rich politicians are spectators and not soldiers, they do not have to fight in the war. This illustrates a separation between the socioeconomic classes and shows that those who make the decisions in a war are not the ones tasked with fighting it.

“After tramping across the countryside, I’d found myself a fine vantage point for observing McDowell’s attack. How gallantly our men advanced into a perfect storm of bullets! [...] The scene I was sketching continually changed before my eyes, like a cloud in the sky.”

James is watching the battle from afar, allowing him to have a romanticized view of what is happening; he is watching “the big picture” and does not see the details of men getting injured and killed. As an artist, he draws a beautiful picture that likely does not reflect the reality of the soldiers. The author uses the simile “like a cloud in the sky” to reinforce that James’s point of view is dreamy and unrealistic.

“Her photograph was in my jacket pocket. I had no family of my own in this country, and I’d thought and worried about her as you would about a wife or relation. I spoke to her now, within my mind. I told her we were both meant to live longer.”

Dietrich keeps the photograph of the girl because it gives him hope. He does not have family and needs something to live for, and the troubled girl gives him that purpose. The photo is a symbol of his wish and need to survive.

“I was lucky to be struck only in both arms, leaving me free to run for my life.”

Earlier, A. B. states that Southerners are “cruel-hearted, war-loving villains,” and he is ready “to take up the gun against them” (43). Now, however, he considers it lucky that he can run away. This shows that the violence of war is so great that a soldier can abandon his morals after only one battle. A. B. no longer cares about killing “villains” because keeping his own life is more important.

“I could scarcely believe I [...] shot a man [...] I felt shaky and shameful [...] I found I was hoping the man would live.”

Although Shem shoots the man “without thinking” (79) to protect his horse, he experiences shock that he was capable of doing it so easily. Shem’s reaction shows that in war, even doing something “right” like saving his horse leads to something terrible, such as a man’s death and orphaned children.

“The older Georgia boys who’d joined would come home loaded down heavy as peddlers with Yankee guns and medals and glory. And with scars to put on public display.”

Toby’s concern with “guns and medals and glory” shows his childishness. He thinks that these are the important aspects of war and is not thinking about the serious aspects. He thinks “scars” separate boys from men and are something to brag about. Because he has not yet seen men horribly injured and killed, he has a romanticized view of fighting.

“These weren’t the same soldiers I’d sketched earlier. My notebook held heroes, marching in unison, bravely advancing, disdainful of death. I refused to draw the scene before me, or to sit idly by.”

This scene works as a contrast to James’s previous chapter, in which he viewed the soldiers as brave and majestic. What he sees in front of him now is dissimilar to the picture he drew; he now sees reality and does not want to draw it because it does not fit his romanticized view of battle. The soldiers who have actually experienced battle are not “the same soldiers [he] sketched earlier,” but James does not approve of this because he has not seen what they have seen.

“But he bounded away, dropping the photograph of the seamstress on the grass. I slowly moved my arm that way, a task that seemed to take hours, and at last dropped my hand upon it and cursed the plunderer.”

This passage strengthens the symbol of the photograph. Dietrich uses his last bit of strength to move closer to the photo and hold it, illuminating the photo’s power and meaning. As he clings to life, he also clings to the photo, drawing strength by thinking about the young woman.

“I’d expected to trail them south, taking piles of pictures of soldiers standing on captured flags and such. It was plain that these men had no desire to stop and sit for their portraits.”

This scene contrasts with the earlier scenes in which the soldiers were eager to have their portraits taken. After experiencing war, the soldiers no longer care about looking brave or having their image live on. Instead they are only concerned about leaving quickly and living.

“A victory? Indeed it was, for Death upon his pale horse.”

Dr. Rye, although a Confederate and on the “winning” side of the battle, believes that the only winner of the battle was Death. He recognizes that in war there are no real winners, because it leads to death and severe injury. The many amputations Dr. Rye has to perform cement his belief that both sides lost the battle.

“But I determined [...] I’d join a three-year regiment, and that I wouldn’t return to Ohio until the Rebels had been beaten [...] I itched for the next battle to begin.”

Gideon is unlike many of the soldiers shown in the novel, who are eager to abandon the army and their role as soldiers. Gideon’s determination to keep fighting reflects his personal stake in the fight. As a Black man, Gideon believes that the war is for “freedom and the Union” (73); the fight is for his country but also himself.

“He was a Yank. How I’d longed back home to kill one. Here I finally had my chance. But instead I ran [...] and kept on running toward Georgia and Grandpap.”

In this moment, Toby simultaneously matures and acknowledges that he is still a child. On the one hand, he is unable to kill the Yank, realizing that killing a man is much different in real life than in the imagination. On the other hand, he flees towards his Grandpap like a child who wants the comfort and safety of a guardian.

“Staggered along through the rain, they looked a parade of ghosts.”

Edmund’s description of the soldiers returning to Washington acts as a contrast to earlier scenes in Washington. Then, the author used positive imagery to create a cheery mood, while here he uses words like “muck,” “misery,” and “ghosts” to convey the hopelessness of the soldiers. He also uses the word “parade” to ironically refer to the earlier parades’ joyfully sending the soldiers off into battle.