Ambrose Bierce

1. Ambrose Bierce 1842-1914(?)

2. Born in Ohio and raised in Indiana. • He was the 10th of 13 children. • He educated himself by reading his father’s books. • He left the farm in his late teens to attend a military academy in Kentucky.

3. At 19, Bierce joined the 9th Indiana Volunteers in the Union Army and saw action at the bloody Civil War battles of Shiloh & Chickamauga. He was severely wounded once and was cited for bravery no fewer than 15 times.

4. After the war and leaving the army, Bierce moved to San Francisco to work with his brother at the United States Mint. • While there, he also worked as a reporter.

5. He wrote a column called the “Prattler,” which appeared in three San Francisco newspapers. His column covered politics, society, literature, and gossip. • Because he often used humor and satire in his column, he angered many key political and business figures, but he was still well-liked by the majority.

6. In the early 1890’s, Bierce published two collections of his stories: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians and Can Such Things Be? • Bierce also wrote The Devil’s Dictionary, a humorous and cynical view of the real dictionary.

7. Although he enjoyed some literary success, his life was still marked by despair. His marriage ended in divorce, and his two sons both died at an early age. • In 1913, he set out for Mexico, which was in the middle of a bloody civil war. He was never heard from again.