Ambrose Bierce 
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Other Stories 

Ambrose Bierce wrote stories so dramatically different from those of his contemporaries that they hardly seem like they were written in the nineteenth century. These original and innovative tales, most of which appeared in the 1880s and 1890s, constitute 23 examples of his best and most characteristic short fiction: anti-war satires that underscore the barbarism and futility of bloodshed; horror stories with a keenly ironic edge; and sardonic ‘tall tales’ of the Old West.

The American Civil War was the defining experience of Bierce’s life, and the battlefield ordeals from his service within the Union army contributed to his distinctive brand of cynical realism. This collection boasts the best of his Civil War tales, including ‘Chickamauga, ‘ ‘A Horseman in the Sky, ‘ and the author’s much-imitated masterpiece, ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.’ Writers of mystery and suspense stories have long been influenced by Bierce’s tales of the supernatural such as ‘The Moonlit Road, ‘ and ‘The Eyes of the Panther.’ This anthology also features ‘Oil of Dog, ‘ ‘My Favorite Murder, ‘ and other satirical fables that continue to captivate readers with their humor and ingenuity.

Table of Content

Civil War Stories

A Horseman in the Sky

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Chickamauga

One of the Missing

Killed at Resaca

One Kind of Officer

The Major’s Tale

The Story of a Conscience

An Affair of Outposts

Horror Stories

A Watcher by the Dead

The Man and the Snake

A Holy Terror

The Middle Toe of the Right Foot

The Damned Thing

The Death of Halpin Frayser

The Moonlit Road

The Stranger

The Eyes of the Panther

Beyond the Wall

Tall Tales

An Imperfect Conflagration

Oil of Dog

My Favorite Murder

The Hypnotist