Is this a simple soldier pulling away the cadavers of his companions or death itself taking away dear individuals into the unknown? Who is connecting the physical bodies with the symbolic meaning of the stripes painted with their blood? The characters in the background also play an important role in the creation of the painting. With their presence, they create an antithesis to the characters in the foreground. They are dressed in white and, apparently, their expressions are both those of consternation and pity for the victims. Going further with the allegory, this can in fact be seen as the American people looking at the entire people's victims with sadness. Patriotism is a wonderful thing, but the losses and moral impact is also not to be ignored.

The creative means by which the painting is made are relevant in building the right atmosphere and perception for the viewer. First of all, the lighting and shading plays an important role. The painting is essentially dominated by dark shades of color, including dark red for the blood and flag, as well as the dark colors used for the uniforms. The artist uses contrasts occasionally, as is the case with the background figures, dressed in white clothes. At the same...

The lighting and shades used propose a gloomy perspective on the issue at hand and an overarching depressive interpretation of the issue.
The author also managed, through this foreground/background antithesis, to create the impression of a 3D space, rather than a two dimensional one. The painting seems to be build following a line which the characters populate, starting in the lower left corner and going upwards to the upper right corner. The painting also revolves around the series of parallel stripes that the soldiers leave on the ground. The characters are also massed towards the upper right corner of the painting.

Overall, the artistic instruments are subordinated to the underlying perception that the artist is trying to transmit to the viewer. The overall gloomy impression of the painting is in fact a way to show how serious the theme described in the painting is. The viewer is feeling this from the first visual contact he has with the painting and it continues upon further discovering elements included in the picture.