# Richard Benning — In the Midst of Life character guide

> Richard Benning in In the Midst of Life by Ambrose Bierce.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0044-a-watcher-by-the-dead

## Snapshot

A rider who volunteers to cross open ground alone toward an enemy line, gambling his life to learn what an entire army needs to know.

## Who they are

Benning undertakes the reconnaissance that no skirmish line could survive, riding out in full view of thousands of hardened soldiers who watch him in suspended, almost religious silence. He is not a bravado performer but a deliberate sacrifice, choosing to either return unharmed or be shot before the army's eyes so that the question of the enemy's position can be answered. His ride becomes the collection's most concentrated image of courage and devotion, and the watchers' stillness measures how much one man's act can mean to an army.

## Relationships

### [Eva Maynard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/characters/eva_maynard)

_romantic_

Eva and Richard are lovers, with their frequent interactions indicating a passionate and possibly tragic romance.

## In the story

### [An Adventure at Brownville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/in_the_midst_of_life_se/chapters/an-adventure-at-brownville)

The antagonist, a tall, slender man with a commanding presence, implied to have killed Pauline and to pose a threat to Eva.

## Links

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