A Year's Casualties
A Year's Casualties is a collection of short stories and vignettes that explore the human experience during times of war. The book was first published in 1895 and features tales of loss, grief, and survival, set against the backdrop of the American Civil War. Bierce's writing is known for its concise and powerful style, which brings a sense of immediacy and urgency to each story. The book is considered a classic of American literature and continues to be widely read and studied today.
By Ambrose Bierce · First published 1899 · Genre: Satire, Short Stories, War · 131 words
First lines
Slain as they lay by the secret, slow, Pitiless hand of an unseen foe, Two score thousand old soldiers have crossed The river to join the loved and lost.
In the space of a year their spirits fled, Silent and white, to the camp of the dead.
One after one, they fall asleep And the pension agents awake to weep, And orphaned statesmen are loud in their wail As the souls flit by on the evening gale.
O Father of Battles, pray give us release From the horrors of peace, the horrors of peace!
What this Textopian page supports
A Year's Casualties is listed on Textopian as a short story by Ambrose Bierce, dated 1899 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Ambrose Bierce
- Date: 1899 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Satire, Short Stories, War, Historical Fiction, Drama
- Length: 131 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for A Year's Casualties by Ambrose Bierce
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering A Year's Casualties?
- How does this short story by Ambrose Bierce fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Satire first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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Genres
- Satire — Ambrose Bierce is known for his satirical writing style, often using humor, irony and sarcasm to critique society and humanity.
- Short Stories — Most of Ambrose Bierce's works are collections of short stories, which is likely the case for 'A Year's Casualties'.
- War — Bierce often drew on his experiences as a soldier in the American Civil War in his writing.
- Historical Fiction — Considering Bierce's tendency to reference historical events in his writing, 'A Year's Casualties' could potentially be categorized as historical fiction.
Tags
war · death · injury · soldiers · combat · violence · tragedy · loss · grief · mourning · remembrance · history