Journalist, poet, short story writer and satirist, Ambrose Bierce (June 24, 1842 – 1913?) lived in DC from 1899 through 1913. Although usually associated with San Francisco, Bierce lived in this city for the last 15 years of his known life, where he completed his Devil’s Dictionary (1911) and word usage compendium Write It Right (1909).
Bierce served in the Union Army during the Civil War, then worked as a journalist for the San Francisco Examiner. He published 12 books; he is perhaps best remembered for his short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” In October 1913, he left DC for a tour of his old Civil War battlefields, then traveled to Mexico to observe Pancho Villa’s army during the Mexican Revolution. He was never heard from or seen again.
To read more about this author:
“A Good Opinion of Bierce” by M.A. Schaffner (Forebears Issue, Summer 2008)
