Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914?)
Life
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on June 24, 1842 to farmer parents in Meigs County, Ohio. He was the tenth child out of thirteen total children, all of whom were given names beginning with the letter "A" at the insistence of his father. At a young age, Bierce and his family moved to Indiana, where Bierce attended school. After finishing school, he attended the Kentucky Military Institute, where he trained to become a soldier.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Bierce enlisted as a soldier in the Union Army, serving in the Ninth Indiana Infantry Regiment and Buell's Army of the Ohio. He fought in several battles, including the battles of Chickamauga and Shiloh, Sherman's March to the Sea and Kennesaw Mountain, where he was wounded. Many of his later work, such as "Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge", draws from his experiences at this time in his life and the time he served in the military.
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on June 24, 1842 to farmer parents in Meigs County, Ohio. He was the tenth child out of thirteen total children, all of whom were given names beginning with the letter "A" at the insistence of his father. At a young age, Bierce and his family moved to Indiana, where Bierce attended school. After finishing school, he attended the Kentucky Military Institute, where he trained to become a soldier.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Bierce enlisted as a soldier in the Union Army, serving in the Ninth Indiana Infantry Regiment and Buell's Army of the Ohio. He fought in several battles, including the battles of Chickamauga and Shiloh, Sherman's March to the Sea and Kennesaw Mountain, where he was wounded. Many of his later work, such as "Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge", draws from his experiences at this time in his life and the time he served in the military.
Career
After the Civil War ended, Bierce moved to San Francisco, California to begin his career in literature. Bierce's work included both prose and poetry, and his early work was published primarily in the Californian, a literary magazine. In 1868, Bierce became the editor of The News Letter, which drew acumen from his popular "Town Crier" column, which was rife with sardonic and quick wit. It was through this, that Bierce rose to literary fame in Californian society.
In 1872, Bierce and his wife moved to England, and Bierce continued his literary career. He published his first three anthologies of works at this time period, and wrote for the popular sarcastic magazine, Fun and Figaro. After three years, Bierce and his wife returned to San Francisco, and Bierce began a job, writing for The San Francisco Examiner, for William Randolph Hearst.
Ambrose Bierce's work gained popularity for his use of sarcasm and dark humor to convey political and social messages. His later work, The Devil's Dictionary, published in 1906, is his most popular work and satires many current social issues under the facade of dictionary definitions. The genre of his work could be described as historical fantasy, the majority of his stories conflating his experiences as a Civil War soldier with supernatural elements. For this reason, as well as his dark humor, Bierce's work is often compared to that of Edgar Allan Poe.
To read some of Bierce's work, visit: http://thedevilsdictionary.com/
After the Civil War ended, Bierce moved to San Francisco, California to begin his career in literature. Bierce's work included both prose and poetry, and his early work was published primarily in the Californian, a literary magazine. In 1868, Bierce became the editor of The News Letter, which drew acumen from his popular "Town Crier" column, which was rife with sardonic and quick wit. It was through this, that Bierce rose to literary fame in Californian society.
In 1872, Bierce and his wife moved to England, and Bierce continued his literary career. He published his first three anthologies of works at this time period, and wrote for the popular sarcastic magazine, Fun and Figaro. After three years, Bierce and his wife returned to San Francisco, and Bierce began a job, writing for The San Francisco Examiner, for William Randolph Hearst.
Ambrose Bierce's work gained popularity for his use of sarcasm and dark humor to convey political and social messages. His later work, The Devil's Dictionary, published in 1906, is his most popular work and satires many current social issues under the facade of dictionary definitions. The genre of his work could be described as historical fantasy, the majority of his stories conflating his experiences as a Civil War soldier with supernatural elements. For this reason, as well as his dark humor, Bierce's work is often compared to that of Edgar Allan Poe.
To read some of Bierce's work, visit: http://thedevilsdictionary.com/
Death and Speculation
In 1914, at the ripe, old age of 71, perhaps to write about the Mexican Revolutionary War, perhaps to fight in it, or perhaps to interview it's leader, Pancho Villa, Ambrose Bierce rode off to Mexico on the back of a horse. It is not known if he even spoke any Spanish. He never returned. What exactly happened to Bierce, is still regarded as one of the greatest mysteries of the 19th century. Far from a lack of evidence about any incident, there seems to be too much information about his death, or deaths.
The first reported death of Bierce occurred at the Battle of Ojinaga, alongside Pancho Villa. Multiple eyewitnesses testified that he was shot and killed during the battle, and were able to identify him from a photograph. His body was then burned along with the other casualties of the battle.
In 1914, at the ripe, old age of 71, perhaps to write about the Mexican Revolutionary War, perhaps to fight in it, or perhaps to interview it's leader, Pancho Villa, Ambrose Bierce rode off to Mexico on the back of a horse. It is not known if he even spoke any Spanish. He never returned. What exactly happened to Bierce, is still regarded as one of the greatest mysteries of the 19th century. Far from a lack of evidence about any incident, there seems to be too much information about his death, or deaths.
The first reported death of Bierce occurred at the Battle of Ojinaga, alongside Pancho Villa. Multiple eyewitnesses testified that he was shot and killed during the battle, and were able to identify him from a photograph. His body was then burned along with the other casualties of the battle.
The second death of Ambrose Bierce occurred not long after this battle. Bierce was found, severely wounded from the battle, by a man attempting to cross the Mexico/United States border. Under the impression that having an American with him would add to his credibility if he were to be captured by authorities, Bierce was captured by the man and carried via cart to the Mexico/United States border. Along the way, Bierce mentioned his name to the fleeing man. The man was captured by officials not far across the border and it was not long after that Bierce died from his injuries. He was buried in a mass grave in their cemetery.
The third death of Ambrose Bierce reportedly occurred in the small village of Icamole. While traveling with Pancho Villa, he and another man were captured by government officials and executed. One of the officials was able to take a photo of Bierce and his possessions. After his death, his body was dumped, uncovered, in the desert.
The last reported death of Ambrose Bierce occurred in the small, mountain town of Sierra Mojada. Bierce was killed by government officials after being accused of being a spy and buried in the town graveyard. An inscription is recorded on his tombstone. It reads:
"Very trustworthy witnesses suppose
that here lie the remains of
1842 Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce 1914
a famous American writer and journalist who
on suspicion of being a spy
was executed and buried at this place."
The third death of Ambrose Bierce reportedly occurred in the small village of Icamole. While traveling with Pancho Villa, he and another man were captured by government officials and executed. One of the officials was able to take a photo of Bierce and his possessions. After his death, his body was dumped, uncovered, in the desert.
The last reported death of Ambrose Bierce occurred in the small, mountain town of Sierra Mojada. Bierce was killed by government officials after being accused of being a spy and buried in the town graveyard. An inscription is recorded on his tombstone. It reads:
"Very trustworthy witnesses suppose
that here lie the remains of
1842 Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce 1914
a famous American writer and journalist who
on suspicion of being a spy
was executed and buried at this place."
Although there are no further reported deaths of Ambrose Bierce, many other scenarios were proposed as a potential end to the great American writer. It is speculated that he continued further into Latin America than Mexico and that is where he met his end. It is also often commented that Bierce possesses a striking resemblance to Mexican-American author, Francisco Goldman, and perhaps they are one and the same. This theory, however, is discredited by the fact that Goldman is more than a hundred years his junior and literature has no resemblance in style to that of Bierce.
However, it is unlikely that we will ever truly know what happened to Ambrose Bierce and how he actually died. Not long after his death, the First World War broke out and Bierce became unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Interest was lost in him and his style of writing and it simply wasn't worth the effort to locate him. Whatever did happen to Ambrose Bierce most likely will continue to be a mystery to stump future generations.