In the Midst of Life; Tales of Soldiers and Civilians

The stories featured in this collection detail the lives of soldiers and civilians during the American Civil War. Bierce served as a union soldier during the Civil War and his experiences as a soldier served as an inspiration for his writing, particularly for the Soldiers section. In this way, Bierce's anticipates and parallels the work of Ernest Hemingway's, just as his civilian tales later influenced horror writers.