Themes
War is hell.
— William Tecumseh Sherman
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
Attributed to Sherman, this blunt statement condenses war into one verdict: it is suffering and destruction, not glory. The speaker's view is stripped of ornament, three words insisting that conflict should be understood by its cost. Because the attribution is uncertain, the line is best read as a widely repeated judgement.
Context reviewed