Did the ending of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce surprise you?

It has
been a long time since I first read the story, but I think it did more than surprise me. That is
putting it mildly! I naturally identified with Peyton Farquhar. I shared his feeling of hope and
possible salvation when he imagined that the hanging-rope had broken and he was being carried
away from the Owl Creek Bridge by the cold, rushing water. I shared his relief when he seemed to
have made it safely to the shore and was running for his life. I shared his growing feelings of
confidence as he made it farther and farther away from that awful bridge and closer and closer
to his home and beautiful wife.

And then when the slack in the hanging-rope
ran out and his neck was broken--I felt that "stunning blow upon the back of the neck"
and saw that "blinding white light...with a sound like the shock of a cannon," which
Ambrose intended his readers to feel, see, and hear, and...