Josh Billings,  Mark  Twain,  Petroleum  V.  Nasby Although  they  continued  to  employ  some  devices  of the  older American  humorists,  a group  of  comic writers  that  rose  to prominence was  different  in  important  ways  from  the older  group.Charles  Farrar Browne,  David  Ross  Locke,  Charles  Henry  Smith, Henry  Wheeler Shaw,  and  Edgar Wilson  Nye  wrote,  respectively, as  Artemus  Ward,  Petroleum  V. (for Vesuvius) Nasby,  Bill  Arp, Josh  Billings,  and  Bill  Nye.