Fun

A union army topography officer. The only American Civil War writer to have actually survived combat experience. I like Killed at Resaca best of his stories -- I think the recent movie Dances with Wolves made use of the imagery when it started out with a cavlary officer riding between the length of the lines, making it alive, and being cheered by both sides. The story that has been filmed is Incident at Owl Creek Bridge. The Old Gringo with Gregory Peck and Jane Fonda is biographical of Bierce's last days when he disappeared in Mexico in 1913. There is a historical marker in Ansley Park in Atlanta marking the position of the union breastworks noting that Ambrose Bierce, topographical officer in Hazen's Brigade, campaigned here, in the battle of atlanta. Bierce went to California and wrote editorial material for the Hearst papers in San Francisco. He attacked Leland Stanford (founder of Stanford University) in print for building the transcontinental railroad at no risk on tax money. Spelled his name with a british pound sign for L and a dollar sign ($) for S. Known to American undergraduates for his Devil's Dictionary which appeared periodically in the newspaper. I think his stories are interesting for the period value -- colloquial speech, and war detail. He wrote definitions, satiric poems, and short stories.

I live in Stocholm Sweden and is very<br>interested in satiric writers.<br><br>I like to know more about the history of<br>Ambrose Bierce.<br>Can you contribute some interesting information?<br><br>Rgds<br>John Kvarnstrom<br><br>

[mono]

Ah, one of my favorite short story writers.
This website gives a good, brief biography of Ambrose Bierce:
http://www.online-literature.com/bierce/
And this website provides quite a few good resources:
http://www.selfknowledge.com/35au.htm