Ambrose Bierce was born in 1842 in Meigs County, Ohio (“Ambrose Bierce”).
He is the tenth child of Marcus Aurelius and Lauren Sherwood. There is not much information about his childhood. The only thing that is known is that during his childhood, his father has an extensive collection of books and this is where Ambrose’s love for the written word starts.In 1857, he left Ohio and went to Indiana. He worked as a assistant to the printer and he also attended a year in Military school (“Ambrose Bierce”).
He did not finish his schooling, though. He attended only one term. But when the American Civil war erupted in 1850, Ambrose Bierce enlisted in the military as a lieutenant of the Union army. The American Civil war is a major historical event in the country that Ambrose Bierce had intimately experienced.The American Civil war is “a military conflict between the United States of America (the Union) and the Confederate States of America (the Confederacy) from 1861 to 1865” (“American Civil War”).
The main cause of the civil war is the disagreement between the northern counties and the southern counties regarding the country’s policy of slavery.The northern counties are against slavery while the southern counties need and still have slaves in their farms and cotton plantations. Ambrose Bierce’s experience in the American Civil War is very important in his life because it will be the source for the themes and subjects of his future stories.Ambrose Bierce got out from the military because he was severely wounded and hit in the head in one of the battles. He was deemed unfit for the military service.
He worked briefly for the Treasury department and then he started working for the newspaper which will be his work for many number of years.Some of the newspapers that Ambrose Bierce worked for are the Overland Monthly, Californian, San Francisco Newsletter and California Advertiser.In 1871, Ambrose Bierce was married to Mollie Day. They had three children but two of them died. Ambrose’s marriage eventually died too because of his wife’s affair with another man (“Ambrose Bierce”).
He did not stop writing for the newspaper, though. He was well-known for his sharp commentaries and opposition to corrupt practices.In 1913, when he was in his seventies, Ambrose Bierce went to Mexico and disappeared in 1914. Nothing is known about him after this.WorksAmbrose Bierce’s first short story to be published is entitled “The Haunted Valley”.
It was published in 1871. The works that were published after this appeared under different pseudonyms. The book “The Fiend’s Delight” that appeared in 1872 has Dod Grile as his pen name.This is part of a trilogy of sketches and epigrams the two of which are “Nuggets and Dust Panned Out in California” and Cobwebs from an Empty Skull”. In 1891, the book “Tales of Soldiers and Civilians” was published.
Included among the stories here is his most famous and most anthologized short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek.”“An Occurrence at Owl Creek”The short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek” is the famous work of Ambrose Bierce. Structured three parts, the story is about a man named Peyton Farquhar who is about to he hanged in the Owl Creek bridge. Its context, like the context of many of Ambrose Brierce’s stories is the American Civil War.
