barbed missiles of ridicule hurtful cutting remarks; insults.
battery a set of heavy guns; cannons.
beams of crimson the flashes of rifle fire.
bedraggled train the last image which the reader gets of Henry's Union division as it returns from all the battles in which it has participated.
besplashed charger an officer's beautiful, paint horse.
black looks critical facial expressions.
black words between officers the possible verbal confrontation between the general and the colonel is of great interest to the listening regiment.
bleach of death Henry's view of the face of the Confederate color bearer just as he is mortally wounded.
bleating plaintively whining.
bludgeon of correction Henry's guilt regarding his treatment of the tattered man and the actions he needs to take to alleviate that guilt.
blue demonstration the perception that, at this point, the regiment is preparing for a protest rather than for a battle.
brigade a unit of the U.S. Army comprising two or more regiments.
bushwhacker a name given to Confederate soldiers by Union soldiers.
captain an officer ranking above a first lieutenant and below a major.
cavalry mounted troops.
charnel place a place where corpses are deposited.
chin music pointless talking.
clogged clouds Henry's mental confusion as he reviews his behavior in combat.
colonel a high-ranking military officer ranking below a brigadier general.
colonel's manner changed from that of a deacon to that of a Frenchman the colonel's initial response to the general's criticism of the regiment's efforts was "to defend with vigor" (a deacon's response) the regiment's actions; instead he chooses "to respond diplomatically" (a Frenchman's response).
color sergeant the sergeant in charge of carrying the flag for a unit.
company a body of troops, specifically, the lowest administrative unit, as of infantry, normally composed of two or more platoons and a headquarters.
company wags humorous soldiers; jokesters.
composite monster the enemy army.
congregation of horses a string of horses tied up.
corporal the lowest-ranking noncommissioned officer, just below a sergeant.
cowled man a hooded man.
crone stooping an ugly, withered old woman.
