Ambrose Bierce was born on June 24, 1842 in Meiggs County in Ohio. His father was Marcus Aurelius and his mother was Laura Sherwood Bierce. Bierce was part of a large family. He was the tenth child born out of 13. Bierce attended one year of high school and when he was about the age of 15 he left his family. He then moved to Indiana where he was an assistant at an abolitionist newspaper. He eventually moved back to Ohio to live with his uncle, Lucius Verus, where he attended the Kentucky Military Institute for about one year, then dropped out. Bierce worked various odd jobs until the start of the Civil war. He then was a part of the 9th Indiana volunteers. His main job was a topographical engineer, but his hard work kept him moving up in the ranks. Battles he fought in include Shiloh, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and Kennesaw Mountain. He was injured in the head at the battle of Kennesaw Mountain, and also escaped being imprisoned in Gaylesville, Alabama ("The Life of Bierce").
"What he saw and experienced in the war had the most profound effect on Bierce" ("The Life of Bierce"). Bernice Wright, his childhood sweetheart, broke off the relationship while Bierce was off at war, which also contributed to his disillusionment. War was the main reason that Bierce doubted the goodness of humans. Bierce quit the army because he was only getting a second lieutenant's wage.
In 1867 he moved to San Francisco. He found job at the mint where he decided that he wanted to be involved in the field of journalism. By the end of the next year he had a regular job as the "Town Crier" in the News Letter. This job gave his local fame and let him be known at the national level. .
In 1871 he dated and eventually married Mary Ellen Day. They went to England for a wedding gift. During his stay in England Mary bore him two children, Day in 1872 and Leigh in 1874. He also wrote his first three books while in England, Nuggets and Dust in 1872, The Fiend's Delight in 1873, and Cobwebs from an Empty Shell in 1874.
