Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (1842 - circa 1914) was a short story writer, journalist, poet, and Civil War veteran. Bierce wrote realistically of the terrible things he had seen in the Civil War in stories like "The Affair at Coulter's Notch", making him a pioneer of the psychological horror story. In this tale, a Captain Coulter leads the way in a fierce battle between Federal and Confederate forces to capture a house. After the battle, a horrible scene is revealed. The theme of "Coulter's Notch" is to question the nature of war and highlight the sacrifice of the individual.