Synopsis
A Union scout takes aim at a Confederate soldier, but just at that moment a shell explodes; he finds himself pinned helplessly beneath debris with his own gun pointed at him.
Notes
Not supernatural, but sometimes included among Bierce's fantastic stories because of its nightmarish exploration of subjective time. First published in the San Francisco Examiner, March 11, 1888. Significantly revised when collected.
Publications (29)
| Date | Publication | Publisher | Type | Page | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891 |
|
Tales of Soldiers and Civilians | E. L. G. Steele | Collection | 69 |
| 1892 | In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians | Chatto & Windus | Collection | 63 | |
| 1898 | In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians | G. P. Putnam's Sons | Collection | 63 | |
| 1909 |
|
In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians | The Neale Publishing Company | Collection | 71 |
| 1910 | In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians | Chatto & Windus | Collection | 63 | |
| 1918 | In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians | Boni & Liveright | Collection | 71 | |
| 1918 | In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians | Boni & Liveright | Collection | 71 | |
| 1930 | In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians | Chatto & Windus | Collection | 63 | |
| 1934 |
|
A Century of Thrillers: From Poe to Arlen | Daily Express Publications | Anthology | 1051 |
| 1934 |
|
A Century of Thrillers: From Poe to Arlen | Daily Express Publications | Anthology | 1051 |
| 1937 |
|
Century of Thrillers | President Press | Anthology | 106|2106 |
| 1939 | The Story Survey | J. B. Lippincott | Anthology | 71 | |
| 1941 | In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians | Chatto & Windus | Collection | 63 | |
| 1943 |
|
Tales of Soldiers and Civilians | Heritage Press | Collection | 27 |
| 1955 |
|
The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter and Other Stories | Avon | Collection | |4 |
| 1970 |
|
The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce | Doubleday | Collection | 264 |
| 1971 |
|
Tales of Soldiers and Civilians | The Easton Press | Collection | 27 |
| November 1971 |
|
The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce, Volume II: The World of War and the World of Tall Tales | Ballantine Books | Collection | 7 |
| 1983 | Adventure Stories for Boys | Octopus Books | Anthology | 313 | |
| 1984 |
|
The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce | University of Nebraska Press | Collection | 264 |
| 1984 | The Best of Ambrose Bierce | Castle / Book Sales | Omnibus | 30 | |
| December 1987 |
|
The Devil's Advocate: An Ambrose Bierce Reader | Chronicle Books | Omnibus | 29 |
| 1988 |
|
The Collected Writings of Ambrose Bierce | Picador / Pan Books | Omnibus | 30 |
| 1994 |
|
Civil War Stories | Dover Publications | Collection | 53 |
| October 2008 |
|
The Spook House: Terrifying Tales of the Macabre | Penguin Books | Collection | 47 |
| March 2012 |
|
Civil War Stories | Dover Publications | Collection | |
| March 2012 |
|
Civil War Stories | Dover Publications | Collection | |
| July 2012 |
|
Ambrose Bierce: Masters of the Weird Tale | Centipede Press | Collection | |
| April 2023 |
|
The Ways of Ghosts: And Other Dark Tales | British Library Publishing | Collection | 49 |