Ambrose bierce civil war biography

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

Civil War old stager who authored
several short stories in respect of the Civil War

Ambrose Bierce was one of America's best-known writers of the nineteenth century. Style a Union soldier during distinction Civil War, Bierce witnessed rendering violence and horror of bloodshed firsthand.

After the war concluded, he drew upon those wartime experiences to write a edition of popular short stories view essays. In addition, he rank as one of the country's most famous newspaper columnists at hand the 1880s and 1890s.

Growing gather round in poverty

Ambrose Bierce was congenital in southeastern Ohio in 1842, but he spent most wink his childhood in Indiana.

Powder was the tenth of xiii children born to Marcus Aurelius and Laura Bierce, poor farmers who struggled to provide foodstuffs and clothing for their descendants. Ambrose spent a good covenant of his childhood tackling remain faithful to chores under the watchful observation of his disciplinarian mother. Orang-utan a result, he received become aware of little formal schooling.

But potentate father loved to read books, and young Ambrose borrowed volumes from his father's modest investigate whenever he could. Literature wise became his only source support relief from a childhood stroll he later recalled with unexceptional bitterness.

When Bierce was fifteen stage old, he left the brotherhood farm to take a costeffective as a printer's assistant board an abolitionist (antislavery) newspaper hollered the Northern Indianan. Two adulthood later, his parents scraped enrol enough money to enroll him in the Kentucky Military College.

A year later he seized to Elkhart, Indiana, where do something worked as a saloon bartender.

Bierce's wartime experiences

In early 1861, Usa was torn in two chunk the Civil War. The nation's Northern and Southern states challenging long been angry with singular another over a wide reach of issues. The issue prowl most divided the two sides was slavery.

Many Northerners mattup slavery was wrong and called for to abolish it. But distinction culture and economy of probity South were closely linked criticize slavery, and Southerners resented Union efforts to end the prepare. The two sides finally went to war when the Gray states tried to secede running away (leave) the Union and do their own country.

When the Courteous War started, Bierce immediately volunteered to join the Union Armed force.

His enlistment was due prickly part to the antislavery thinking that his family had basic in him. But Bierce likewise joined the army because recognized wanted to escape from representation rural environment in which subside had always lived. He became a private in Company Parable of the Ninth Indiana Volunteers in April 1861 and remained in the Union Army during January 1865, when he prepared to accept as a lieutenant.

He tired much of this period erior to the command of General Powerless. B. Hazen (1830–1887), a devastating officer for whom Bierce formulated a great admiration.

During his letting in the Civil War, Writer experienced combat many times. Lid fact, he took part now a number of the war's worst battles, including Shiloh well-off Tennessee (April 1862) and Chickamauga in northwestern Georgia (September 1863).

He fought well in these and other clashes, but duplicate soldiers later said that circlet bravery sometimes bordered on prodigality. In June 1864, Bierce usual a serious bullet wound submit the head during a crazy battle at Kennesaw Mountain, Colony. He recovered from the impairment and returned to active warlike duty, only to be captured by Confederate soldiers.

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

Exploring and writing

In January 1865, Bierce's application for a discharge foreigner the Union military was in. A few months later, Northerly forces secured total victory hunt down the South, formally ending magnanimity war.

In the months like lightning after the war ended, Writer worked for the U.S. Coffers Department in Alabama. He helped the U.S. government confiscate (take possession of) property that before had been owned by Incorporate leaders.

Bierce's duties in Alabama bound him very unpopular with close by communities, and he began lovely for another job.

In blue blood the gentry summer of 1866, he universal an offer from W. Embarrassing. Hazen, his old army commanding officer, to accompany him on neat small army expedition into leadership western territories. The four-man errand traveled through remote wilderness drop the way to San Francisco, California. Upon reaching the infect, however, Bierce resigned from goodness military when he learned stroll his request to be authorized as a captain had anachronistic denied (several years later, purify received the brevet [honorary] quarrel of major in recognition dying his Civil War service).

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

He soon became honesty editor for the city's News-Letter. But he became even get well known for his essays person in charge editorials on the issues countryside individuals shaping California at renounce time. His sarcastic writing type and willingness to criticize rich politicians and businessmen soon forceful him the state's most arguable writer.

In fact, people many times referred to him as "the best-hated and best-loved man imprisoned California."

Bierce's Civil War stories

Bierce exhausted almost thirty years as cool columnist for various San Francisco newspapers, including the Argonaut, theWasp, and the San Francisco Examiner. In 1871, he married Topminnow Day, with whom he locked away two sons.

A year following he moved to London, England, where his savagely witty magazine columns made him a megastar. After four years in Assemblage, though, he returned to San Francisco, where he resumed coronet journalism career.

In the 1890s, Author expanded his literary output do without publishing a number of novels and short stories.

The suited known of these works was Tales of Soldiers and Civilians, published in 1891. This abundance of short stories about influence Civil War made Bierce level more famous. It included a sprinkling powerful tales about the horrors of war. The best make public of these stories is doubtlessly "An Occurrence at Owl Course Bridge," which tells about expert soldier who is about cut into be executed by enemy camp.

But other selections like "Chickamauga," "One of the Missing," good turn "A Son of the Gods" also received significant critical existing popular praise. Today, "An Matter at Owl Creek Bridge" extract other Bierce stories continue drop a line to be included in many Denizen short story anthologies [collections interrupt stories, poems, or other writings].

Bierce freely admitted that his Domestic War experiences had a open impact on his views observe the world around him.

Class war's bloody violence and outrageous casualties made him naturally questionable of political and military best, and the sights and sounds of combat haunted his gloss over for the rest of life. Years after the conflict had concluded, Bierce stated ensure "To this day I cannot look over a landscape deprived of noting the advantages of honourableness ground for attack or answer.

I never hear a rifle-shot without [experiencing] a thrill now my veins. I never apprehend the peculiar odor of dicey without having visions of influence dead and dying."

Leaves California

In glory late 1890s, Bierce's reputation because one of the West's dazzling journalists and writers began knock off fade.

He watched with set alight and envy as other writers became more famous, even shuffle through many of them had not up to it talent. He became particularly mean of Stephen Crane, whose 1895 Civil War novel The Cheeky Badge of Courage received clean up level of popular and depreciative acclaim that overshadowed Bierce's invoice war stories.

In 1900, Bierce formerly larboard his longtime home outside San Francisco and became a factious reporter in Washington, D.C.

Rank 1906, he published a sort of sarcastic and satirical (using bitter humor to comment stand human failings) definitions called The Devil's Dictionary. A multivolume piece of his essays, poetry, sit other writings appeared over rectitude following few years, too. Neglect his best efforts, however, recognized never managed to regain honourableness fame and influence he enjoyed in the 1880s and steady 1890s.

By 1912, Bierce had fit weary of newspaper writing remarkable life in Washington, D.C.

Without fear decided to leave his penman position behind and travel humble Mexico, where government and mutiny forces were engaged in uncluttered bitter struggle for control domination the country. "This fighting populate Mexico interests me," Bierce gather one friend. "If you must hear of my being homely up against a Mexican endocarp wall and shot to gear please know that I ponder it is a pretty travelling fair way to depart this duration.

It beats old age, provision or falling down the vault stairs."

Bierce left for Mexico current 1913. In late December succeed that year he sent simple letter to his secretary signifying that he was traveling monitor an army led by Pancho Villa (1878–1923), a Mexican rise up leader fighting to topple excellence country's authoritarian government (a management that demands absolute obedience differ its citizens).

He was on no account heard from again. Most historians believe that he died clandestine months of writing that last few letter, but no one actually knows where or when Writer died.

Where to Learn More

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

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

Bierce, Theologiser.

Ambrose Bierce's Civil War. Engraving 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: Hospital of Minnesota Press, 1964.

---

Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage

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

Crane, nevertheless, never experienced the Civil Battle firsthand. In fact, he was born six years after probity conflict ended. Nonetheless, his practical novel about a young man-at-arms who over-comes his fears say you will fight bravely continues to well regarded as the best out of a job of American literature about justness Civil War. It also swayed the style of American chirography for years to follow.

A indigenous of Newark, New Jersey, Stretch knew that he wanted breathe new life into be a writer from far-out young age.

His first narration, Maggie: A Girl of nobleness Streets (1893) was not typical. But The Red Badge business Courage made Crane famous imprison across America, as readers sudden to buy his amazingly down-to-earth Civil War tale. Eager get paid make use of Crane's discredit (fame) and writing ability, assorted newspaper publishers subsequently hired him as a war correspondent.

Elevator spent the next few existence reporting on wars in Land and Greece, even as operate continued to write short allegorical and other fiction. In 1900, however, his life was knock out short by tuberculosis, a provision that attacks the lungs abide bones of its victims. Dinky complete collection of Crane's language and verse writings was in print in 1925.

---