Was Peyton Farquhar a fictional character or real person?

Peyton Farquhar is a fictional character created by Ambrose Bierce in his short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." The story is a classic of American literature and is known for its masterful use of suspense, irony, and psychological realism.

While the story is fictional, Bierce drew inspiration from the real-life experiences of people who were hanged during the American Civil War. He uses Farquhar's imagined escape to explore the themes of war, death, and the power of the human mind.