Ambrose Bierce: Bitter Genius
The Mystery of a Brilliant American Author
The life, times and works of this brilliant 19th century writer whose death remains an unsolved mystery to this very day
Famous American Writers
Early Years
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on June 24, 1842, in Meigs County, Ohio. Little is known of his early childhood, but his adolescence was spent in Elkhart, Indiana, and at the outset The American Civil War Ambrose Bierce enlisted in the Union Army. In February of 1862, he served as an engineer, making maps of likely battlefields and Ambrose Bierce also fought bravely as a solider, particularly at the Battle of Girard Hill, West Virginia. In 1866, Ambrose Bierce resigned from the army, achieving the rank of brevet Major.
Journalism
Ambrose Bierce moved to San Francisco where he remained for many years, becoming famous as both a writer and editor for a number of local newspapers and periodicals, including "The San Francisco Newsletter" and "The Argonaut." From 1872-1880, he lived in England, but then returned to San Francisco. In 1887, Ambrose Bierce became one of the first regular columnists to be employed by William Randolph Hearst's newspaper, "San Francisco Examiner." In December of 1899, Ambrose Bierce moved to Washington, DC, but continued to work for the Hearst newspapers until 1906. A controversial and bitingly critical satirist, Ambrose Bierce's columns caused many difficulties for Hearst, who despite this, did not fire him.
Literary Works
Ambrose Bierce's short stories are considered among the best of the 19th century. He wrote of the ravages of war in such stories as "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and "Chickamauga." Ambrose Bierce also published several volumes of poetry and verse. He was a master of language, and he wrote in variety of literary genres. One of Ambrose Bierce's most famous works is "The Devil's Dictionary", which was originally a newspaper serialization first published in 1906 as "The Cynic's Word Book."
Later Life And Death
In October of 1913, the 70-year-old Ambrose Bierce left Washington, DC, on a tour to revisit his old Civil War battlefields. He traveled south and by December, entered Mexico, which was in the throes of revolution. In Juarez, Ambrose Bierce joined the army of Pancho Villa as an observer and he accompanied Villa's army as far as the city of Chihuahua. After a last letter sent from that city on December 26, 1913, Ambrose Bierce disappeared without a trace. There were subsequent investigations to determine what happened to him, but they were fruitless, and the fate of Ambrose Bierce remains as shrouded in mystery as many of his literary creations.
