What situation does Peyton Farquhar face in the beginning of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

Peyton Farquhar, at the beginning of the story, is being prepared to be hanged from a bridge.  He has been caught by the Northern army for trying to sabotage a bridge.  He is a Southern sympathizer and is paying the ultimate price for this.  During the course of the story, he has flashbacks about his family and why he is being hanged that give the reader a clearer picture of who he is.