Sagan Chickamauga er s\u00f6g\u00f0 fr\u00e1 sj\u00f3narh\u00f3li sex \u00e1ra gamals drengs \u00e1 sveitab\u00e6 \u00ed Su\u00f0urr\u00edkjunum. Alla s\u00edna \u00feekkingu af str\u00ed\u00f0s\u00e1t\u00f6kum og hermennsku hefur hann \u00far myndskreyttum b\u00f3kum \u00ed anda hetjud\u00e1\u00f0a fyrri kynsl\u00f3\u00f0a en er \u00f6ldungis \u00f3me\u00f0vita\u00f0ur um str\u00ed\u00f0i\u00f0 sem geisar \u00ed kringum heimili hans og skilur ekki \u00feessar hels\u00e6r\u00f0u verur sem \u00e1 vegi hans ver\u00f0a. Bierce var\u00f0 sj\u00e1lfur vitni a\u00f0 skilningsleysi almennings \u00e1 \u00feeim hryllingi sem str\u00ed\u00f0 eru og alvarleika \u00feeirra, og ritar m.a. um \u00fea\u00f0 \u00ed endurminningagreininni \u201eWhat I saw of Shiloh.\u201c <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hugmyndir margra \u00feeirra almennu borgara sem sv\u00f6ru\u00f0u kalli Abrahams Lincolns um a\u00f0 skr\u00e1 sig \u00ed herinn voru r\u00f3mant\u00edskar og sveipa\u00f0ar hetjulj\u00f3ma, enda h\u00f6f\u00f0u afar f\u00e1ir nokkra einustu reynslu af hermennsku. \u00d3breyttur herma\u00f0ur rita\u00f0i \u00ed br\u00e9fi heim \u00e1ri\u00f0 1862 a\u00f0 hugmyndir hans um orrustur v\u00e6ru tilkomnar \u00fat fr\u00e1 teiknu\u00f0um myndum af bard\u00f6gum sem hann hef\u00f0i s\u00e9\u00f0. \u201e[Hermennirnir] st\u00f3\u00f0u \u00ed beinum r\u00f6\u00f0um og b\u00f6r\u00f0ust \u00e1 \u00fe\u00e6gilegri jafnsl\u00e9ttu, og h\u00f3pur kvenna anna\u00f0ist hina s\u00e6r\u00f0u, o.s.frv. En \u00fea\u00f0 er ekki \u00feannig.\u201c <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A\u00f0 auki haf\u00f0i mikil \u00fer\u00f3un or\u00f0i\u00f0 \u00ed vopnager\u00f0 og herna\u00f0i; langdr\u00e6gnir rifflar komu \u00ed sta\u00f0 skammdr\u00e6gnu framhla\u00f0ninganna (e. musket) og frumst\u00e6\u00f0ar handsprengjur litu dagsins lj\u00f3s. \u00c1ri\u00f0 1860 hanna\u00f0i Christopher Spencer fj\u00f6lskotariffil<\/a> (e. Spencer repeating rifle) sem ger\u00f0i herm\u00f6nnum kleift a\u00f0 hleypa af 14-20 skotum \u00e1 m\u00edn\u00fatu a\u00f0 me\u00f0altali, e\u00f0a um tv\u00f6falt fleiri en forveri hans. Allt \u00feetta j\u00f3k g\u00edfurlega \u00feann mannska\u00f0a sem \u00e1t\u00f6kin ollu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Chickamauga-bardaginn var s\u00ed\u00f0astur \u00ed r\u00f6\u00f0 bardaga sem h\u00e1\u00f0ir voru \u00e1 m\u00e1na\u00f0art\u00edmabili fr\u00e1 21. \u00e1g\u00fast 1863 \u00e1 lei\u00f0inni milli Chattanooga-borgar, um 14 km nor\u00f0ar, og Chickamauga. Hann st\u00f3\u00f0 yfir \u00ed \u00ferj\u00e1 daga og er n\u00e6stbl\u00f3\u00f0ugasti bardagi Borgarastr\u00ed\u00f0sins, me\u00f0 t\u00e6plega 34.700 l\u00e1tna, s\u00e6r\u00f0a og horfna af \u00feeim 125.000 sem b\u00f6r\u00f0ust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n