Lot 109
Bierce, Ambrose -- ALS Naming Some of the Civil War Battles He Fought In (1842-circa 1914) American journalist, short story writer, poet, literary critic, and Union Civil War veteran. He wrote in numerous genres and was known for his biting satire and social criticism. In December 1913, he traveled to Chihuahua, Mexico to observe the Mexican Revolution first hand. He was never seen again. Autograph letter signed in full on page 4 and with initials after postscript, 4pp, 4to, The Army & Navy Club, Washington, D.C., Oct. 26, 1907. To Col. H.H. Sargent, at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. Bierce first notes that he had read about "the dispatch of two troops of the Second Cavalry from Fort Des Moines to quell the Ute outbreak and [was] wondering if yours was one of them," then he expresses his enjoyment of Sargent's book, "Campaign of Santiago," which "was read to the last line, appendices and all, almost at a sitting…It is a worthy successor to your other books….My paragraph on it…was omitted from the November number of 'The Cosmopolitan'…for lack of room, I hope…It has been rewritten and sent back for the January number…." He discusses a mutual friend, Col. Pearson, whom he likes and has not seen for a while, and talks of a trip "to take in some of my old battlefields, which I've not seen since the civil war--Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Nashville and perhaps Shiloh. Well, I hope something may bring you to Washington before I lay my bones in the Arlington campo santo…." In a postscript, he remarks on an article and says, "I've been a free thinker ever since I began to think. A.B." With original, holograph envelope. Boldly penned and signed. Fine condition. Estimated Value $500 - UP
The W. R. Holman Collection, Pacific Grove, CA.
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