Based on my observations from the Battle of Shiloh‘s story, multiple forms of emotional experience are evident. Some of them include fear, bravery, naiveté, and cowardice. Fear alerts people to the threat of harm and the presence of danger. It is depicted in the story when the enemy started firing bullets at Stanly and his confederates. They were ordered to lie down and continue firing. The bellowing cannon, bounding and plunging of the shells, and fleeing over them with screeching hisses instilled great fear in them. The hurtling fragments and explosions caused them to cower and shrink, despite the effort to be collected and cool. Fear is also observed when one of the soldiers cried, saying that the place is getting warmer. The soldier uttered a curse while keeping the other soldiers lying on the ground until they gained enough courage. When Stanley and his team met their opponents in a similar formation, they threw themselves behind trees in fear of the opponent. When the opponents saw thousands of people running towards them and heard the savage yells, they vanished and left their tents behind because of fear.
Moreover, bravery is the state or quality showing moral or mental strength to handle fear, difficulty, or danger. The first bravery incident from the Battle of Shiloh is evident when Stanley and his fellows silently and solemnly walk through the forest at night. His regiment yelled wildly to relieve the unreleased feelings and encourage the soldiers in the attacking line. The voices were louder than other battle sounds combined, stimulating their energies to the fullest. The Berserker passion engulfed them with rapture, transfiguring everyone into a rejoicing and unstoppable victor.
Nevertheless, naiveté is the quality of being naïve, that is, artless or natural simplicity. Naiveté is depicted when Henry Parker, a seventeen-year-old boy, suggests that putting a few violet flowers into caps would probably prevent the Yanks from shooting them since the flowers are a sign of peace. The men of higher ranks laughed at them as they plucked a bunch of violet flowers and arranged them in their caps. Another naivete incident from the story is when Parker begged the soldiers to stop since his foot had been smashed. His foot was so hurt that he could not stand on both feet. This incident shows that Parker had never been to a fight in the jungle before, and he was an armature of battles.
Additionally, cowardice refers to a trait where fear hinders someone from handling danger or taking a risk. The trait is evident from the text when the regiments heard the hurtling fragments and explosions from the opponents; they started to shrink because of being cowardly. The soldiers showed that they are coward when they kept lying on the ground until one of them raised his head and was short at the forehead. Parker was also a coward when he gave the idea of placing violet flowers on top of the cap. The flowers signify peace, whereas he knows that they were going for a fight.
The feeling of loyalty is present from The Battle of Shiloh. It entails faithfulness and devotion to a country, group, philosophy, or person. The story explains that the men in ranks chuckled at Stanley’s regiments as they put flowers on their caps. Higher ranks’ presence shows there was loyalty since the juniors have to pledge allegiance and obey their bosses. Loyalty is also depicted by an Aide who issued instructions to Brigadier Hindman that reported to the Colonels.
Finally, frustration is felt from some of the incidents experienced in the story. It refers to an emotional response to annoyance or anger resulting from the inability to achieve or change something. Stanley was frustrated when he found himself alone, and his opponents had caught him. His counterparts had retreated without his notice, and he was ordered to drop down his weapon. He was taken to the ranks of malicious Yankees and imprisoned. Therefore, the Battle of Shiloh is a unique story containing many incidents of emotional experience.