What tone does does the author use in the excerpt from ambrose bierces an occurrence at owl creek bridge which discusses the hanging of an enemy combatant

In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce, during the part of the story that discusses the hanging of an enemy combatant, the author uses a sympathetic and regretful tone.

Explanation: The narrator points out that the man to be hanged was "no vulgar assassin" and the soldiers carry on with their tasks with silence and respect. The man in question could not be excluded from their military code, so regardless of how they feel, they must follow orders.

the present continuous is a verb tense which is mainly used to indicates that an action is in progress at the moment of speaking.  

it is formed using: person + verb to be (am/is/are) +verb + - ing form  

example: i am studying at this moment .

in addition, the present continuous is also used in order to express things that will or will not happen in the near future.

example: i am having dinner with some friends tonight.

the speaker sometimes   uses it   to express that an action is repeated and it causes irritation on the part of the speaker

example: my sister is constantly complaining about everything.