I stayed in the tree till it begun to get dark, afraid to come down. Sometimes I heard guns away off in the woods; and twice I seen little gangs of men gallop past the log store with guns; so I reckoned the trouble was still a-going on. I was mighty downhearted.

– Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 18. Huck experiences the loss of lives as he witnesses the Grangerford/Shepherdson feud cause complete devastation. He is sickened and horrified by what he sees.