The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-05-12
GEN. WIN. ST. LYLE,
The Warrior Poet, Who Lost His Life ut
Chickamauga.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE:


e. -1ssSxa.sHE human mind has been an incom
vsE8 preheasible, impenetrable mystery
| SE.E s(s for all time, and its poetic phase OF
s&As manifestation is perhaps the most
eJ.1S-'vo perplexing enigma of the greater
puzzle. The natura! theory and acceptatiOn
| is that the poetic mind is at once more
subtle and ethereal, and hence more gentle
and engaging than that of ordinary NOR
| tails. And yet peculiar characteristic OF
nearly all poets-both ancient and modern
is their inexplicable tendency to themes
OF error. turmoil and tragedy. Poets from
| the incboa,e past have been hero worshipers,
and their pens have ever glorifed the
| deeds Of military heroes. Indeed, it appears
that the poetic fancy achieves its most effective
rs well as beautiful flights amid the imaginary
clash of arms aud the groans of dying combat
ants. Many poets have themselves been dis
! tipgGished warriors in all nations.
Homer tho Greek and Virgil the Roman
! tuned their Tyres to warlike deeds; Shaks-
| peres masterful productions are based on some
of the bloodiest events in English history;
Scott the Wizard of the North" excites most
| admiration in description of battle scenes. and
even the gentle Milton adorned his great epic
with fascinating tale of conflict between the
powers of light and darkness. Byron not only
rbapsodized war, but sought to be warrior
and hero himself, espousing the cause of the
Greek patriots, and losing his life on foreign
shore.
This train Of perhaps somewhat irrelevant
philosophy is the result of recently finding,
filed away in ono of the endless boxes of mill
tary records stored in the War Department., the
following unpublished letter of an American
soldier and poet, who laid down his life on the
field of battle in the of his country nearly
80 years ago. With its interesting Enclosure
from the great War Secretary, in itself it forms
a perfect epitOme of personal history in con-
nection with an important event of the civil
war:
CINCINNATI Jan. g. 1863.
Col. WM. HOFFMAN, o. s. A. Commis5ary General
of Prisoners Washington. ID. Q.
COLONEL At the battle of Perrvville, KY while
engaged III rallying one of my regiments, momen-
tariiy thrown into some disorder by an attack OF
the enemy in great force, was disabled by
wound and taken prisoner. On the day following
/ was paroed Mt Harrodsbu-g. On the night OF
my arrival in this city received telegram from
Washington, of which the following is a copy:
WASHINGTON Oct IA, 1862.
Col. w. II. LYTLE: Your telegram respeetins
exchange has been received, and the Adjutant-
General instructed to negotiate yonr exchange as
speedily as possible. Allow me to express my high
estimation of your gnnntry and hope for your
speedy recovery and restoration To your command
with appropriate rank.
E. NJ. STANTON. Secretary OF War.
Notwithstanding this order to the AdjutRnt-Gen-
eral, have not yet after the lapse of more than
two months, received any notification of my ex-
change, and recently at Murfreesboro, to my In
tense regret, my old command has been in action
without me. May | not ask, Colonel, your earliest
attention 10 my case and that, if practicable, my
exchange may he effected without further delay?
will add that my address is to Cincinnati, under
orders from Maj. Gen. Wallace commanding camp
of paroled prisoners at Columbus. dated Oct. %,
lSG2. 10 remain here until l was recovered, ex-
changed md receive orders.
have the honor to be, Colonel, your obedient
servant, WM. II. LYLE.
Colonel 10Th Ohio, lately commanding
Seventeenth Brigade. Rousseau's Division.
William Haines Lytle of Ohio, was lawyer
by profession. naturally something of poll
tician. poet and instinctively soldier. He
was born in 1896 and had but just entered
upon the practice of the law in his native State
when the Mexican war broke out. The in
herent military spirit of this Ohio boy was
stirred, and he went TO Mexico as Captain in
the I'd Ohio Volunteers; served cred tably
until the close of that contest, so glorious to
the American arms, and, returning home. qui-
city resumed his professional work. At this
time he was only about % years old-a proof
that he was endowed with more than usual
ability and dignity of character. He subse-
quently became q Democratic member of the
Ohio Legislature but afterward, as the cand-
date of that party for Lieutenant Governor,
he was defeated by his Republican competitor.
Meanwhile he had been made MajorGeneral
of Ohio militia-doubtless on account of his
Mexican experience.
Gen. Lyle always dabbled more or less in
literature, and in his leisure hours produced
several fugitive poems of considerable merit;
but no collection of his works has ever been
published. Several. years before the outbreak
of the rebelion-and not, rs has been errone-
ously stated by careless writers, while lying in
hospital on the Chickamauga fatally wounded
Lyle won literary fame as the author of
one of the most beautiful and powerful poems
in our language, from the text Of Shakspere's
sonorous line, 81 am dying, Egypt, dying"
entitled