# Herman Brayle — In the Midst of Life character guide

> Herman Brayle in In the Midst of Life by Ambrose Bierce.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Lieutenant Herman Brayle, Lieutenant Brayle, Brayle

**First appearance:** 0015-killed-at-resaca

## Snapshot

A tall, golden-haired aide who rides into the open under fire rather than take the safe road, and the whole line stops to watch him die.

## Who they are

Brayle is the general's newest aide, a scholar and gentleman whose conspicuous uniform and reckless gallantry make him a spectacle wherever he goes. Ordered to carry a message the long way, he instead canters into the enemy's field of fire, drawing both armies' attention and a storm of bullets. His vanity and his courage are indistinguishable, and the narrator's grief over him becomes the story's reckoning with what such bravery costs.

## In the story

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

A lieutenant whose conduct in battle raises questions about courage and folly.

### [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 Brayle appears.

### [Killed at Resaca](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/chapters/killed-at-resaca)

The central figure of the chapter, a staff officer of extraordinary courage who refuses to take cover and is killed at Resaca.

### [One Kind of Officer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/chapters/one-kind-of-officer)

Killed in the friendly fire ordered by Captain Ransome.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/characters/lieutenant_brayle
- 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