"In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians" represents Bierce's short stories written in and around the time of the Civil War. These include "A Horseman in the Sky", "Chickamauga", "The Applicant", "A Holy Terror", "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge"-- perhaps his most famous story of all, -- and 21 other disturbing tales. Their message about the horrors of war lives on vividly to this day.