Ambrose Bierce, American journalist, editorialist and writer
Ambrose Gwinett Bierce was born on June 24, 1842 in Meigs County, Ohio, son of Marcus Aurelius and Laura Sherwood Bierce. He is best known for his short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and his satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary.
His short stories are held among the best of the 19th century – he wrote realistically of the terrible things he had seen in the Civil War in Owl Creek Bridge and such stories as "The Boarded Window," "Killed at Resaca" and "Chickamauga."
The sardonic view of human nature that informed his work — along with his vehemence as a critic, with his motto "nothing matters" — earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce." Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. This style often includes a cold open, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events.
Most of the material in this description of Ambrose Bierce is from the website biercephile.com.
Ambrose worked odd jobs until the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War in 1860, when he enlisted with the 9th Indiana volunteers. The Civil War would prove to be the defining episode of his life. Bierce worked primarily as a topographical engineer, where his excellent and valiant performance allowed him to rise through the ranks. He fought in several key battles in the war, including Shiloh, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and Kennesaw Mountain.
Battle of Chickamauga Sept. 1863
lithograph by Kurz and Allison, 1890.
During his distinguished career, he was seriously wounded in the head at Kennesaw Mountain and escaped from capture in Gaylesville, Alabama.
What he saw and experienced in the war had the most profound effect on Bierce and is commonly seen as the source of his cynical realism.
The Confederate Prison at Andersonville, Georgia 1864-65. Nearly one-third of the Union prisoners imprisoned there died. Bierce was in a different Confederate prison, but conditions were likely similar.
Bierce landed in San Francisco in 1867 and decided on a career in journalism. His acid wit quickly gained him great local fame and a burgeoning national notoriety. In 1871, he courted and wed Mary Ellen ("Mollie") Day, a San Franciscan socialite of one of the best families of the city. In 1887, Bierce began his famous (and tumultuous) relationship with publishing baron William Randolph Hearst, joining the staff for the San Francisco Examiner. Hearst had a reputation for employing the best journalists available, including Bierce, Stephen Crane, Mark Twain, Richard Harding Davis and Jack London.
S.F. Examiner masthead, 1927, "Monarch of the Dailies" (Bancroft Library)
William Randolph Hearst, Bierce’s employer and creator of the largest newspaper and magazine business in the world
While continuing his newspaper work, Bierce began producing books in America. Between 1891-3, Bierce wrote and published The Monk and The Hangman's Daughter (with G.A. Danziger, 1892), Tales of Soldiers and Civilians (1892), Black Beetles In Amber (1892), and Can Such Things Be? (1893).
A lifelong opponent of the powerful California railroad interests, Bierce was one of the few journalists brave enough to oppose them. In 1896, with Hearst's backing and space in the Examiner and New York Journal, Bierce single-handedly brought public opinion and scrutiny to defeat a controversial bill forgiving railroad debt to the government.
At the turn of the century, Bierce's personal life would again fall under bad stars. In 1901, son Leigh died of pneumonia related to alcoholism. In 1904, Mollie finally officially filed for divorce for "abandonment," but would die the next year before the proceedings were finalized. After Mollie's death, Bierce began working for Hearst's Cosmopolitan, and Bierce's Cynic's Work Book (later the Devil's Dictionary) was published in 1906.
Bierce became less and less involved in the world around him. In 1913, Bierce traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on that country's ongoing revolution. While traveling with rebel troops, the elderly writer disappeared without a trace.
An adaption of An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge was featured in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Episode 166, Original Airdate: Dec. 20, 1959). Robert Enrico's critically acclaimed, 1962 black and white short film adaptation of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge was modified for television and shown as an episode of the original Twilight Zone (Episode 142, Original Airdate: February 28, 1964).
Ambrose Bierce, 5th Cousin, five times removed
Bissell “3G” Generation
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Joyce, Meredith, George, Gwen, Roger, Arthur, Eleanor, Chip, Carolyn, Betsy, Clyde
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Adelaide Lyon Boutelle b. 1908 --- RICHARD MEREDITH BISSELL b. 1910
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Mertie Ella Bisbee b. 1884 --- Herbert Hunt Bissell b. 1878
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Julia Ann Richardson b. 1865 --- John Hatch Bissell b. 1841
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Ambrose Gwinett Bierce, b. 1842 Mercy Ann Searle b. 1815 --- Benoni Bliss Bissell b. 1813
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Marcus Aurelius Bierce, b. 1799 -- Laura Sherwood Tirzah Pierce b. 1787 --- Solomon Bissell b. 1789
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Sgt. William Bierce, b. 1753 -- Abigail Bell Benjamin Pierce b. 1745/46 -- Priscilla Merritt
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Hezekiah Bierce, b. 1720 -- Deborah Sturtevant Benjamin Pierce, b. 1721 -- Charity Howard
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Thankful Ford, b. 1689 -- Shubael Bearse Benjamin Pierce, b. 1682 -- Mary Cowing
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Andrew Ford -- Abiah Pierce, Abt 1659 Capt. Benjamin Pierce, b. 1646 -- Martha Adams
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[------------------------ Michael Pierce -- Persis Eames----------------]