Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, An

First collected in Bierce's book Tales of Soldiers and Civilians (1891), An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is a short story by the American writer and Civil War veteran Ambrose Bierce. Famous for its skillful deployment of flashbacks, stream of consciousness narrative, and a surprise ending, the story describes the improbable escape of a man sentenced to hang for spying during the Civil War.