Ambrose Bierce (June 24, 1842 – circa 1914) was an American writer known for his fierce criticism and sardonic view of human nature. His motto was “nothing matters”. His work ranged from journalism to fiction and satire. He is best known for the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and “The Devil's Dictionary”, a satirical lexicon.

He was born the tenth of thirteen children to a poor but well educated couple in Ohio and raised in Indiana.  He left home at age 15 to work for a newspaper and joined the Union Army at the outset of the Civil War. He was cited for bravery, saw action in numerous battles, and was wounded at the battle of Kennesaw Mountain.  His experience at the Battle of Shiloh was the basis for several short stories and a memoir. After the war he traveled west with the army to San Francisco, where he eventually became famous for his contributions to a number of newspapers and periodicals, most notably the San Francisco Examiner of William Randolph Hearst. Thanks to his sarcasm and biting criticism, his journalism was often controversial. His fiction was largely overlooked during his lifetime, and dwelt on themes of war, death and cruelty. Today his war stories, which realistically depicted the horrors of war, are seen as important contributions to American literature.   Bierce journeyed to Mexico in 1914 to cover the Mexican Revolution and disappeared while rumored to be traveling with rebel troops.