That title character is an author whose grief at the deaths of his two sons leads him to leave the United States in 1913.  
One character in this novel lies about her father having been a soldier who died in Cuba; in fact, he abandoned her mother for a mistress.  That character arranges for this novel's title character to receive the grave in Arlington Cemetery that was reserved for her father, having earlier lost a job as tutor to the Miranda children.  In addition to Harriet Wilson, characters in this novel include a general named Tomas Arroyo who shoots the title character in the back.  That title character is an author whose grief at the deaths of his two sons leads him to leave the United States in 1913.  FTP, name this 1985 novel which imagines the circumstances surrounding the mysterious death of Ambrose Bierce, a work by Carlos Fuentes.
One character in this novel lies about her father having been a soldier who died in Cuba; in fact, he abandoned her mother for a mistress.  
The Old Gringo or Gringo viejo