# Captain Downing Madwell — In the Midst of Life character guide

> Captain Downing Madwell in In the Midst of Life by Ambrose Bierce.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Captain Madwell, Madwell

**First appearance:** 0017-the-coup-de-gr-ce

## Snapshot

A Massachusetts officer who finds a wounded friend on the battlefield and must decide what mercy looks like when there is no surgeon and no water.

## Who they are

Madwell is a daring, honorable captain whose closest friend, Sergeant Caffal Halcrow, lies mutilated and screaming in a ravine after a disastrous charge. The major, Halcrow's brother, is Madwell's bitter enemy, and the regiment has already fallen back miles away. Madwell's terrible choice at the dying man's side turns battlefield loyalty into an act of unbearable intimacy.

## In the story

### [In the Midst of Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/chapters/in-the-midst-of-life)

An officer who kills his own friend to prevent a more agonizing death.

### [Soldiers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/chapters/soldiers)

An officer grappling with the brutal decisions required in war.

### [A Son of the Gods](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/chapters/a-son-of-the-gods)

Not present in this chapter; no character named Madwell appears.

### [The Coup de Grâce](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/chapters/the-coup-de-gr-ce)

The protagonist who, after the battle, finds his friend Caffal Halcrow dying and performs a mercy killing.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/characters/captain_madwell
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/characters