When describing the movement of the wounded soldiers through the woods, the narrator uses hyperbole, as seen in the following passage:
They came by dozens and by hundreds; as far on either hand as one could see in the deepening gloom they extended and the black wood behind them appeared to be inexhaustible. The very ground seemed in motion toward the creek.
The hyperbolic language here includes the description of how the woods “appeared to be inexhaustible” and how “the very ground seemed in motion toward the creek.” Both of these descriptions are impossible and are therefore examples of hyperbole. Bierce is using this kind of exaggerated language in order to add to the haunting mood of the story as well as to help readers picture the scene. For example, the fact that the ground seemed to be moving toward the creek signals just how many soldiers are moving through the woods at once.
All of these descriptions strengthen Bierce’s underlying message in the story about the reality of war being far harsher than the fantasy of it. While some people might believe that, at the end of a battle, one side is victorious and the other dead, Bierce demonstrates the reality that, at the end of a battle, numerous soldiers can end up existing between life and death in severely wounded, desperate states. In the story, they appear almost like zombies dragging the earth itself with them as they retreat.
