Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book The Devil's Dictionary was named as one of ""The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature"" by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. His story ""An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"" has been described as ""one of the most famous and frequently anthologized stories in American literature"". His war stories influenced Stephen Crane, Ernest Hemingway, and others, and he was considered an influential and feared literary critic.