Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American journalist, satirist and writer of sardonic short stories. His reputation as a fervour and searing critic and his self-expression of ‘Nothing matters’ earned him the epithet ‘Bitter Bierce’. His work ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’, a compilation of ironic and sarcastic lexicon reflects his sardonic acrimony. He had made significant contributions as a short story writer and his short stories were mostly based on themes of war, horror and death. His most notable and widely famous short story, ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’, a work par excellence is considered a flawless creation of a genius and counted among the best American short stories. Some of his other notable literary works are ‘A Horseman in the Sky’, ‘The Haunted Valley’, ‘A Watcher by the Dead’ and ‘The Moonlit Road’ among many others. He was also a famous journalist in California and never hesitated in exposing the truth. His censuring and sardonic observations of personalities and incidents also made him infamous as ‘the wickedest man in San Francisco’. Bierce disappeared mysteriously and was rumoured to be last seen travelling with a rebellious troop.