Ambrose Bierce

• What two main influences shaped Ambrose Bierce's early life?

  His father's extensive library and his uncle, Lucius Verus Bierce.
• What did Ambrose Bierce admire about his uncle, Lucius Verus Bierce?

  His oratory skills, public service, and social activism, especially his staunch abolitionist views.
• How did Ambrose Bierce's uncle influence his beliefs?

  Bierce adopted his uncle's idealism, particularly his abolitionist stance.
• When did Ambrose Bierce enlist in the Union Army?

  In 1861, following President Abraham Lincoln's call for volunteer troops at the start of the Civil War.
• What happened to Ambrose Bierce during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in 1864?


  He sustained a serious head injury.
• Why did Ambrose Bierce resign from the military?

  He was injured during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain and resigned in 1865 due to the severity of his head injury.