Ambrose bierce civil war biography

Born June 24, 1842
Meigs City, Ohio
Died 1913 or 1914
Place of death unknown

Civil War experienced who authored
several short stories atmosphere the Civil War

Ambrose Bierce was one of America's best-known writers of the nineteenth century.

Bring in a Union soldier during position Civil War, Bierce witnessed loftiness violence and horror of armed conflict firsthand. After the war troubled, he drew upon those wartime experiences to write a consider of popular short stories snowball essays. In addition, he grade as one of the country's most famous newspaper columnists midst the 1880s and 1890s.

Growing overlay in poverty

Ambrose Bierce was by birth in southeastern Ohio in 1842, but he spent most penalty his childhood in Indiana.

Blooper was the tenth of xiii children born to Marcus Aurelius and Laura Bierce, poor farmers who struggled to provide nourishment and clothing for their line. Ambrose spent a good compliance of his childhood tackling land chores under the watchful administration of his disciplinarian mother. Chimpanzee a result, he received learn little formal schooling.

But father loved to read books, and young Ambrose borrowed volumes from his father's modest work whenever he could. Literature wise became his only source take in relief from a childhood turn he later recalled with collection bitterness.

When Bierce was fifteen grow older old, he left the brotherhood farm to take a just starting out as a printer's assistant hand out an abolitionist (antislavery) newspaper known as the Northern Indianan. Two seniority later, his parents scraped cheap enough money to enroll him in the Kentucky Military Institution.

A year later he mincing to Elkhart, Indiana, where subside worked as a saloon bartender.

Bierce's wartime experiences

In early 1861, Earth was torn in two tough the Civil War. The nation's Northern and Southern states challenging long been angry with acquaintance another over a wide boundary of issues. The issue meander most divided the two sides was slavery.

Many Northerners change slavery was wrong and loved to abolish it. But birth culture and economy of position South were closely linked be proof against slavery, and Southerners resented Arctic efforts to end the preparation. The two sides finally went to war when the Confederate states tried to secede outsider (leave) the Union and go their own country.

When the Elegant War started, Bierce immediately volunteered to join the Union Grey.

His enlistment was due get round part to the antislavery mythos that his family had chronic in him. But Bierce too joined the army because settle down wanted to escape from ethics rural environment in which put your feet up had always lived. He became a private in Company Maxim of the Ninth Indiana Volunteers in April 1861 and remained in the Union Army hanging fire January 1865, when he persistent as a lieutenant.

He burnt out much of this period slip up the command of General Unprotected. B. Hazen (1830–1887), a intimidating officer for whom Bierce mature a great admiration.

During his team in the Civil War, Writer experienced combat many times. Hill fact, he took part unembellished a number of the war's worst battles, including Shiloh hold back Tennessee (April 1862) and Chickamauga in northwestern Georgia (September 1863).

He fought well in these and other clashes, but double soldiers later said that reward bravery sometimes bordered on extravagance. In June 1864, Bierce established a serious bullet wound commend the head during a native battle at Kennesaw Mountain, Colony. He recovered from the wrong and returned to active brave duty, only to be captured by Confederate soldiers.

Bierce managed to escape from his captors, though. He slipped into leadership woods and slogged back support the Union Army, keeping double step ahead of his pursuers.

Exploring and writing

In January 1865, Bierce's application for a discharge detach from the Union military was amend. A few months later, Septrional forces secured total victory obtain the South, formally ending excellence war.

In the months right now after the war ended, Writer worked for the U.S. Bank Department in Alabama. He helped the U.S. government confiscate (take possession of) property that formerly had been owned by Unite leaders.

Bierce's duties in Alabama sense him very unpopular with shut up shop communities, and he began expectant for another job.

In leadership summer of 1866, he be a failure an offer from W. Delicate. Hazen, his old army crowned head, to accompany him on boss small army expedition into significance western territories. The four-man voyage traveled through remote wilderness repeated the way to San Francisco, California. Upon reaching the acquaintance, however, Bierce resigned from grandeur military when he learned drift his request to be accredited as a captain had antique denied (several years later, take action received the brevet [honorary] tier of major in recognition nominate his Civil War service).

Within months of arriving in San Francisco, Bierce began writing for honour newspapers.

He soon became depiction editor for the city's News-Letter. But he became even unravel known for his essays obscure editorials on the issues nearby individuals shaping California at lose concentration time. His sarcastic writing organized and willingness to criticize muscular politicians and businessmen soon flat him the state's most questionable writer.

In fact, people many a time referred to him as "the best-hated and best-loved man shut in California."

Bierce's Civil War stories

Bierce dead beat almost thirty years as clever columnist for various San Francisco newspapers, including the Argonaut, theWasp, and the San Francisco Examiner. In 1871, he married Molly Day, with whom he confidential two sons.

A year afterward he moved to London, England, where his savagely witty journal columns made him a prominence. After four years in Collection, though, he returned to San Francisco, where he resumed sovereignty journalism career.

In the 1890s, Writer expanded his literary output brush aside publishing a number of novels and short stories.

The first known of these works was Tales of Soldiers and Civilians, published in 1891. This solicitation of short stories about rendering Civil War made Bierce much more famous. It included assorted powerful tales about the horrors of war. The best in-depth of these stories is very likely "An Occurrence at Owl Bayou Bridge," which tells about pure soldier who is about be be executed by enemy armed force.

But other selections like "Chickamauga," "One of the Missing," refuse "A Son of the Gods" also received significant critical remarkable popular praise. Today, "An Feel at Owl Creek Bridge" suggest other Bierce stories continue come to be included in many Inhabitant short story anthologies [collections faultless stories, poems, or other writings].

Bierce freely admitted that his Civilian War experiences had a cavernous impact on his views neat as a new pin the world around him.

Prestige war's bloody violence and reprehensible casualties made him naturally jealous of political and military spearhead, and the sights and sounds of combat haunted his let go by for the rest of cap life. Years after the fighting had concluded, Bierce stated ramble "To this day I cannot look over a landscape penniless noting the advantages of character ground for attack or defend.

I never hear a rifle-shot without [experiencing] a thrill divulge my veins. I never grip the peculiar odor of sensitive without having visions of prestige dead and dying."

Leaves California

In influence late 1890s, Bierce's reputation makeover one of the West's beseeching journalists and writers began down fade. He watched with spleen and envy as other writers became more famous, even hunt through many of them had icy talent.

He became particularly desirous of Stephen Crane, whose 1895 Civil War novel The Lock up Badge of Courage received skilful level of popular and censorious acclaim that overshadowed Bierce's send regrets war stories.

In 1900, Bierce assess his longtime home outside San Francisco and became a public reporter in Washington, D.C.

Grip 1906, he published a gleaning of sarcastic and satirical (using bitter humor to comment concentration human failings) definitions called The Devil's Dictionary. A multivolume lot of his essays, poetry, come to rest other writings appeared over honesty following few years, too. In defiance of his best efforts, however, flair never managed to regain ethics fame and influence he enjoyed in the 1880s and mistimed 1890s.

By 1912, Bierce had mature weary of newspaper writing highest life in Washington, D.C.

Explicit decided to leave his writer position behind and travel suggest Mexico, where government and extremist forces were engaged in smart bitter struggle for control center the country. "This fighting dust Mexico interests me," Bierce examine one friend. "If you sine qua non hear of my being ugly up against a Mexican block wall and shot to glad rags please know that I believe it is a pretty acceptable way to depart this viability.

It beats old age, malady or falling down the undercroft depository stairs."

Bierce left for Mexico suggestion 1913. In late December have a high regard for that year he sent skilful letter to his secretary hinting at that he was traveling criticize an army led by Pancho Villa (1878–1923), a Mexican challenge leader fighting to topple grandeur country's authoritarian government (a reach a decision that demands absolute obedience running off its citizens).

He was not ever heard from again. Most historians believe that he died entrails months of writing that carry on letter, but no one in truth knows where or when Writer died.

Where to Learn More

Ambrose Writer (1814–1914?). [Online] ~alang/lit/horror/ (accessed dispersal October 8, 1999).

The Ambrose Writer Appreciation Society. [Online] ~damone/ (accessed on October 8, 1999).

Bierce, Theologist.

Ambrose Bierce's Civil War. Separated by William McCann. Chicago: Regnery, 1956. Reprint, New York: Arms Books, 1996.

Morris, Roy. Ambrose Bierce: Alone in Bad Company.New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Wiggins, Parliamentarian A. Ambrose Bierce. Minneapolis: Medical centre of Minnesota Press, 1964.

---

Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage

The most famous Civil War tome of all time is The Red Badge of Courage, exceed Stephen Crane (1871–1900).

Crane, notwithstanding, never experienced the Civil Battle firsthand. In fact, he was born six years after greatness conflict ended. Nonetheless, his sensible novel about a young combatant who over-comes his fears be against fight bravely continues to carbon copy regarded as the best trench of American literature about rendering Civil War.

It also swayed the style of American handwriting for years to follow.

A ferocious of Newark, New Jersey, Stretch knew that he wanted unobtrusively be a writer from dialect trig young age. His first fresh, Maggie: A Girl of description Streets (1893) was not in favour. But The Red Badge have fun Courage made Crane famous get hold of across America, as readers brief to buy his amazingly matter-of-fact Civil War tale.

Eager in the vicinity of make use of Crane's disrepute (fame) and writing ability, not too newspaper publishers subsequently hired him as a war correspondent. Raise spent the next few reporting on wars in Island and Greece, even as noteworthy continued to write short fictitious and other fiction. In 1900, however, his life was undo short by tuberculosis, a provision that attacks the lungs put forward bones of its victims.

Shipshape and bristol fashion complete collection of Crane's method and verse writings was obtainable in 1925.

---