Ambrose Bierce was rescued, half-dead from an injury that history insists did not happen, from the Civil War hospital in 1863, at age 21.
Mab Westell, his wife, will be quick to point out that he is much less cynical than the original version. He missed half of the horrors of the Civil War, he never had his heart broken by his cheating wife and tried to recreate that with woman after woman, he hadn’t curdled with age. But he is still deeply sardonic and will bluntly say whatever he’s feeling, very quick to criticize anything and anyone. (She will also point out he’s a lot hotter than history implied, and all the pictures in the newspapers are from when he’s like 50, but that’s somewhat irrelevant.)
He never was truly a ‘community leader’, unlike Mab. He was simply never going to be popular enough. There’s a reason she’s the sole Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper and he’s not co-editor, despite it being almost as much his work as hers.
But his various editorials on the political situation very often informed debate in all directions. While he never officially gave his position, and was quick to lambast all sides, he did generally seem to be in favor of option 3.
Arrived 23 HY from 1863 InterAct.
Ambrose Bierce, normally unwilling to be photographed in any manner. This is a screengrab from a short recording his wife shared after he grew out his beard.