Peyton is a 35-year-old plantation owner from a highly respected Alabama family. Though devoted to the Southern cause during the Civil War, unknown circumstances prevent him from joining the Confederate army. He views himself as a student of hanging and harbors a romanticized view of war. He desperately desires a chance to prove his heroism and achieve military glory.

Mrs. Farquhar is Peyton's attentive and devoted wife. She maintains the domestic life at their Alabama plantation while the war rages nearby. To Peyton, she embodies the tranquil, simple life he left behind in his pursuit of military glory. She stands as his primary motivation to survive and return home.

The Union Spy is a military scout who appears at the Farquhar gate posing as a Confederate soldier. He brings news that Federal troops are repairing the railroads and preparing for an advance. He deliberately mentions the Union order that any civilian caught interfering with the Owl Creek Bridge will hang, sparking Peyton's imagination.

The Union Soldiers form the execution detail on the bridge. The group consists of a captain, a sergeant, and two private soldiers, backed by a larger company of infantry arrayed on the nearby bank. They operate with mechanical precision, observing strict military protocol as they enforce the order against saboteurs.