The “Good Death,” as it was understood in the eighteenth century, involved being aware that one
was going to die, making one’s peace with God, and having family and friends at the bedside to
receive wisdom and edification. The dying person occupied a space between worlds, according
to popular belief, and could give clues to those present at the deathbed about the mysteries of
God and sacred truths. The battlefield death, with its suddenness, lack of decorum, and
unpredictability, did not fit into this pattern, and that posed a problem – as the experience of
Trumbull’s sister illustrates – for the revolutionary generation. This paper will argue that
revolutionary battles were of such scale, reached so deeply into the civilian population, and
coincided so overtly with the birth of a new nation, that artists, writers, and chroniclers began to
create a new version of the “Good Death” – a battlefield version of the good death – that could
help to alleviate social stress. The “Good Battlefield Death,” conveyed through artistic works,
narratives, funeral sermons, and oration, depicted the dying soldier as being able to ask
forgiveness for sins and offer his soul to god, die with a comrade at his side, acknowledge those
being left behind, receiving well wishes and respect from those present, giving advice to those
still fighting, and signify the righteousness of the cause he was fighting for.
