Was Peyton Farquhar a good person in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

Whether you believe Peyton Farquhar was a good person or not may depend to some degree on whether you favor the cause of the Union or the cause of the Confederacy in the American Civil War. In Part II of the story, we learn Farquhar's background. He was a plantation owner, so he probably owned slaves, and he was for secession; he actively worked as a civilian toward the goals of the Confederacy. He basically believed that "all is fair in ... war." The extent of his crime is not clarified, but it seems that he intended to sneak past a "picket post" guard, overcome the sentinel guarding the bridge, and set fire to the bridge, all in an effort to hamper the advance of the Union Army into Southern territory. It also seems that he may have tried to hang, and may have successfully hanged, the sentinel guarding the bridge. This is suggested by his words to the scout, "Suppose a man—a civilian and student of hanging" in describing himself. We might wonder how he became a "student of hanging." Had he hanged other Union soldiers before? We know that the "gray-clad soldier" who tells Farquhar about the bridge is actually a "Federal scout" who is trying to entice Farquhar into a "sting" operation. For the Union Army to have singled Farquhar out in this way suggests that he may have been a formidable foe whom they seriously desired to eliminate.

A few details of the story may help the reader be more sympathetic toward Farquhar. He was dedicated to his side in the war and willing to take personal risks to advance the cause of his homeland. There was "no adventure too perilous for him to undertake" for the Confederacy. The fact that he was deceived and trapped by the Union Army may make some readers take Farquhar's side. During his imaginary escape, his thoughts of his wife and children as he walks toward home and his joy at being reunited with his wife when he sees his house are details that suggest he is a loving father and husband. 

Ambrose Bierce created a character in Peyton Farquhar who could be good or bad, depending on how one reads the story and how one views the Civil War. However, most readers put their feelings about Farquhar's morality behind them while reading of his miraculous, and indeed fantastical, escape. The story impresses upon the reader that life is precious and survival is dear to anyone—Union or Confederate, soldier or civilian, good or bad.

What was Peyton Farquhar's "life" and what mattered most to him in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

The protagonist of the Ambrose Bierce short story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," Peyton Farquar is a wealthy Alabama plantation owner with a wife and children. He is also dedicated to the Confederacy with hopes of one day enjoying the glories of the battlefield, perhaps as an officer. But Farquar has apparently been enlisted to serve as a spy (for either his state or nation) instead, and he is willing to do anything he can to serve the Southern cause. He attempts to gain information about the Owl Creek Bridge, which he hopes to burn, but his plan is discovered by a Yankee spy dressed in a Confederate uniform, to whom Farquar reveals his intentions. In the end, it appears that it is his family that matters most, since it is his home and his wife and children that he thinks of in his final moments--believing that he is returning home to them in the seconds before he dies.

Is Peyton Farquhar a hero or an idiot in "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

An idiot? Definitely not. "Foolhardy"? Possibly. A novice in the field of espionage? Undoubtedly. Farquhar is willing to do anything he can to help the cause of the Confederacy, and he hopes this spying mission will help him to land a battlefield commission.

... he chafed under the inglorious restraint, longing for the release of his energies, the larger life of the soldier, the opportunity for distinction. That opportunity, he felt, would come, as it comes to all in wartime. Meanwhile he did what he could. No service was too humble for him to perform in the aid of the South, no adventure too perilous for him to undertake if consistent with the character of a civilian who was at heart a soldier...

Spying is a dangerous game, and Farquhar's decision to undertake the burning of the Owl Creek Bridge is not an act of idiocy but one of bravery. His big mistake was not recognizing that the man dressed in Southern garb who provided him with the information about the bridge was in fact a Union soldier--also a spy, and probably a much more experienced one. Farquhar can be blamed for being being gullible and naive, but his actions were of a heroic nature. If successful, he would have helped to restrict Union movements in his home state; instead, he will only be remembered for giving his life in the failed attempt.