When describing Druse’s experience in the Union army up until this point, the narrator uses alliteration, as seen in the following passage:
By conscience and courage, by deeds of devotion and daring, he soon commended himself to his fellows and his officers; and it was to these qualities and to some knowledge of the country that he owed his selection for his present perilous duty at the extreme outpost.
The alliteration here is in the first part of the sentence, when the narrator starts several words with /k/ and /d/ sounds when describing how “by conscience and courage, by deeds of devotion and daring, [Druse] soon commended himself to his fellows and his officers.” These sounds show up in more subtle ways in the rest of the passage in words like “country” and “duty.”
Bierce intentionally uses alliteration at this point in the story in order to highlight Druse’s heroic behavior. This stylistic choice adds a romantic quality to the language that matches the dramatic content of the words, helping readers understand just how courageous and daring Druse is as a soldier and as a man.
This moment is also an example of situational irony. As the alliterative part of the passage communicates, Druse is a brave and skilled soldier, recognized as such by “his fellows and his officers” alike. Ironically, he ends up being punished for his bravery by being selected for his current “perilous duty at the extreme outpost.” Here, Bierce highlights the ludicrous nature of war—there is no escaping its horrors, even for the most courageous and daring soldiers.
