«A Horseman In the Sky» by Ambrose Bierce

First published in the San Francisco Examiner in 1889, Ambrose Bierce‚Äôs A Horseman In the Sky‚Äù, uses suspense and dreamlike imagery to help describe an unusual wartime episode. Set during the Civil War, a lookout in the Union army sees a mounted confederate spy across the river. Realizing the spy is his own father, the soldier faces a terrible ethical dilemma.