No room for squeamishness

 Fletcher's comments about slaughter are not for the squeamish. He felt not a whit of regret at the sight of the enemy's dead. On the contrary, such scenes elated him. The more blue-coated corpses he saw, the greater his satisfaction. He shrugs at seeming callous in this respect, for his pleasure had a practical foundation: the heavier the enemy's losses, the better his own chances of staying alive. This is a line of thought common to combat soldiers, but few tend to voice it so coolly

(from the Introduction to Rebel Private: Front and Rear. The introduction is by Richard Wheeler, and the book was by William A. Fletcher.)