In the short story "The Upturned Face" by Stephen Crane, two officers, a man named Timothy Lean and an adjutant, debate whether to bury a comrade named Bill who has just fallen and died in battle. Sharpshooters of the enemy are targeting them, and Lean exclaims that they can't hold their position for more than an hour. Lean orders two men with a pick and shovel to dig a grave despite the ongoing battle. In the meantime, Lean searches the body for personal effects.

When Lean and the adjutant roll the body into the shallow grave, it lands face up. They make an attempt to perform a quick service but cannot remember all the words. All this time, bullets from the enemy sharpshooters continue to strike around them. One of the gravediggers gets hit, and Lean orders the two men to fall back. He shovels the dirt into the grave himself, although he is reluctant to cover the face until the end.

This story deals with the death of a comrade in battle. Lean and the adjutant have known Bill for years. Although their lives are in danger as they linger on the scene, they realize that they cannot simple leave their friend on the open ground.

The battlefield setting with the danger of the enemy sharpshooters creates a mood of fear and urgency. Lean and the adjutant know that they must flee the area as quickly as possible to save their own lives, and yet they are reluctant to leave their friend. His upturned face reminds them that just a short time earlier he was living, breathing, and bound to them in friendship and the kinship of combat. Such bonds are hard to let go. Crane uses the setting of extreme danger to demonstrate how strong these bonds are and how difficult it is to come to grips with the reality of a friend dying in battle.