ambrose bierce an occurrence at owl creek bridge 1890

However, when Bierce arrived, the commission had evaporated. Despite the aftereffects of his injury, Bierce agreed and traveled to San Francisco to join him. He resigned from the army in early 1865 and was named brevet, or honorary major, for his service.Īfter the war Bierce was working as a Treasury agent when an officer Bierce had served under and admired offered him a commission to reenlist. The injury made him permanently prone to fainting and serious headaches. He was so badly injured he would have been left for dead if his brother hadn't found him. In June 1864 Bierce was shot in the head at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in Georgia. He was repeatedly promoted, reaching the rank of first lieutenant in 1863, while continuing to participate in numerous battles. In 1861 he reenlisted, and in 1862 he became a topographical engineer, surveying land and creating maps, under General Hazen. His war experiences formed the basis for much of Bierce's later writings.īierce was honored for saving a wounded soldier at the Battle of Rich Mountain and promoted for his heroism to sergeant major.

He served throughout the war and took part in some of its bloodiest, most devastating battles, including Chickamauga and Shiloh. After two years Bierce left to attend the Kentucky Military Institute.Īs soon as the American Civil War broke out in April 1860, Bierce volunteered and joined Company C, 9th Indiana Volunteers, who fought in the Union army against the Confederate forces of the South. The printer published an abolitionist newspaper, which exposed Bierce directly to the most intense elements of period politics. When he left high school, Bierce worked as a 'printer's devil,' a low-level apprentice to a printer. Education, Professional Experience, and the Military

Ambrose bierce an occurrence at owl creek bridge 1890