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On June 24th, 1842, Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born; he was the son of Marcus Aurelius and Laura Bierce. He was born the youngest of a large family in Megis County, Ohio, but was raised in poverty on a farm in Indiana. He grew to hate farm life, and found his way through his teenage years by engrossing himself in books and literature. When he was old enough, he left home to live with his uncle, and later attended a military academy. Bierce was at the military academy for a year, and then he dropped out. After that he worked odd jobs here and there.
Soon the Civil War broke out and Bierce enlisted himself in the Union Army. He was a great help in the war, rose through the ranks, and won many awards, but due to a severe injury to the head, he had to reluctantly return home. After he came home he moved to San Francisco, and in 1867 decided to get into journalism and started contributing his writing to papers. He wrote many short stories, as well as articles and editorials. He was known for lashing out with personal attacks on individuals, especially those involved in politics. He was featured in many popular newspapers and he became a household name. Many people called him "Bitter Bierce" because of his snide remarks and negative attitude.
In 1871 he married Mary Ellen Day, who would later have his three children (Day, born 1872, Leigh, born 1874, and Helen, born 1875), and together they moved to England in 1872. There he wrote for a few magazines, published three books ("Nuggets and Dust Panned Out in California", "The Fiend's Delight", and "Cobwebs from an Empty Skull"), and edited a paper. They lived in England for four years until, in 1875, they moved back to San Francisco. Back in California Bierce wrote for the "San Francisco Examiner". He was the local satirist, and was prominent among the writers of California's "Literary Frontier".
From 1891 through 1893 Bierce produced many books in America and published "The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter", "Black Beetles in Amber", and "Can Such Things Be?" among others.
After separating from his wife, and the deaths of two of his sons, Bierce decided to go to Mexico in 1913 to leave behind his American life. He was never heard from again. There were many rumors of his death, some believed he committed suicide, some believe he was killed in the siege of Ojinaga. The estimated date of his death is sometime in January of 1914. His death will forever remain a mystery.
Bierce will be remembered for his short stories that were usually related with death; and he will also be remembered as a great writer. His turmoil and pain brought about by events in his life brought color and a unique quality to his work. Some of his most popular writings include: "The Devil's Dictionary", "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", "Chickamauga", "Fantastic Fables", "Shapes of Clay", and "Tales of Soldiers & Civilians".
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