Halfway through “An Occurrence on Owl Creek Bridge,” there is a flashback that establishes Farquhar’s background and leads readers to infer why he is being sentenced to death, giving important contextual information about who he is. As a flashback, it interrupts the narrative of Farquhar’s imminent death, taking readers back in time to the inciting incident that led Farquhar to end up on the bridge and facing death. This flashback scene is also when readers learn that he is an enslaver and Confederate supporter, and an ardent one at that:
Circumstances of an imperious nature, which it is unnecessary to relate here, had prevented him from taking service with the gallant army that had fought the disastrous campaigns ending with the fall of Corinth, and he chafed under the inglorious restraint, longing for the release of his energies, the larger life of the soldier, the opportunity for distinction.
Here, readers learn that Farquhar is seeking glory, is desperate for an “opportunity for distinction,” and is bitter that he was unable to serve in the Confederate army. His passionate love of the Confederate cause and his reckless beliefs are conveyed ironically while illustrating the extent he'll go to in order to seek glory. For example, the army is described as “gallant,” which is an ironic and almost sarcastic description, given Bierce’s political support of the Union.
This flashback mostly consists of a scene in which Farquhar and his unnamed wife encounter a traveler whom they do not realize is a Union soldier in disguise. He tells them that the Union has taken over the Owl Creek bridge, and Farquhar inquires if he could destroy the bridge to prevent the Union’s advance.
One evening while Farquhar and his wife were sitting on a rustic bench near the entrance to his grounds, a gray-clad soldier rode up to the gate and asked for a drink of water.
This scene shows that Farquhar's attempts to find glory by taking back the bridge are fruitless and quickly fail, ultimately leading to his death. This scene is pivotal because it establishes Farquhar’s motivations while criticizing him as a representation of the Confederate South.
