Brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor. The Civil War set a new precedent for warfare. One of the Union soldiers, Ambrose Bierce, wrote a collection of short stories based on his personal experiences. Do his writings reflect that the Civil War was a just war following just war theory? Bierce's writings help reflect that the Civil War was unjust because it was not conducted by legitimate authority, was not conducted with the right attitude, and was not a last resort. Just war theory is treated on a "prima facie" basis. That is, not all standards must be met for a war to be declared just or unjust. To examine Bierce's writings requires a general knowledge of just war theory The theory of just war follows five main rules. The first rule is that the war must be waged for a just cause. The third rule is that the war must be conducted by a legitimate authority. The fourth rule is that the military means must be carefully related to the principle of discrimination discrimination, waging war should only be used as a last resort. Bierce's writings reflect that the war was not waged by legitimate authority. In the Union government, there was Lincoln who was the commander in chief. He was a legitimate authority. However, there was a collapse of leadership and legitimate authority as power made its way through the ranks. Bierce was one of those who criticized most Union generals and commanders, with the exception of General Don Carlos Buell. In one of these cases, he questions t... middle of paper... Writings of Ambrose Bierce, edited by Russell Duncan and David Klooster, 51-56. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2002.Bierce, Ambrose. “From what I have seen of Shiloh.” In Ghosts of a Bloodstained Period: The Complete Civil War Writings of Ambrose Bierce, edited by Russell Duncan and David Klooster, 93-110. Boston: University of Massachusetts Printing Press, 2002. Description of the Battle of Shiloh. Home of the Civil War. Last modified: February 7, 2002. http://www.civilwarhome.com/shilohdescription.htmSchmidt, William, Special to the New York Times. “The barrage at Fort Sumter still resonates in the South.” New York Times, April 12, 1986., 6, TOPICsearch, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2011). Wilt, Napier. "Ambrose Bierce and the Civil War". American Literature 1, no. 3 (November 1929): 260. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2011).