Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-12-01
vi Am Dying. Egypt, Dying and lis
Author.
l TOUCHING INCIDENT OF The WAR
Colonel Vests Recollection of the
Death of LytIc-Tbe Popular Ner-
sion-The Battle of Cold Harbor-
Gallant Clarence Warwick.
New Orleans States.)

New Orleans States)
The States is in receipt of the follow
ing letter Of inquiry from Mr.. Joseph q.
Fiycash. OF the Norfolk Wa.) Public
Ledger The clipping referred to In the
letter is from the Norfolk VirGinian. and
Is as follows:
Our neighbor, the vlrglnian, In its
issue of this morning speaking OF the
authorship OF the poem, Antony and
Cleopatra" says:
Quite an animated discussion is going
IN among certain newspapers concerning
the time when this poem was written
but IL is generally believed that the
Maysville co. Republics statement is
correct. That paper says that Geherai
William IL. Lyle had the manuscript oH
his person when the Confederates came
across his body on the field OF Chicha-
,nsuca The belief has obtained that
General Lyle wrote the poem at ."-
clnnati before the war. but us conui'ioh
when found on his person at Chieha.
,nagua showed that be composeo "'
odd hours in the camp. - 49,
General Lyle may have written IN.
WIN WHitH 'iN -
credited. but IL so he must nave COM
n.eted them fully three years Delore
the battle Of Chickamsuga was iougn',
as the poem was published In wcehy
naner I'm one of the Louisiana parishes
in 1850. SO We have been INFORMED Wy q
aentleman who resided IN that secuoh
of the country at that time. we rather
incline TO the opinion that Ex-Governor
Allen. OF Louisiana, who oied an eA"s
In Mexico shortly after the ciose VI
the war was their author. he was one
OF the most talented men In the renean
state hut died several years before any
a..~o,,a-sy arose as to the authorship
of the poem. r,,>c,rp
OFFICE or THE PUBLIC LEDGER
EDWARDS & FIVEASH.
PROPRIETORS.
NORFOLK. VA, October IL. 1895.
Editor States: BY the enclosed clipping
xo,, rv,i, see that the claim is still made
that General Lytle who was killed at
t,hickamauga, completed the poem An
tony and Cleopatra the night before he
was killed. l.,
For a number OF years we had IN our
employ as local reporter Mr.. !. d. hui-
I'm. who IL now dead. Mi huihh was a
printer, and went from virginia " '"1
Southwest about 1858, where he remained
until the war broke out, when he return
ed az a member OF a Memphis company
Some twelve or fifteen years ago wheh
conyersing with him relative 10 the poem
named, he told me that he had reao IL
about the year 1860 In weekly paper
publishea In Louisiana in the nelShoor-
hood OF Donaldsonville, / think. Inc name
of the paper If he told me- nave TOT
gotten. I have since been or the opinion
that Ex-Governor Allen, Of your STATE
composed the poem. and II you eouio as
certain the name OF the paper and the
date on which the poem was published
think that you could prove the ground
lessness of the claim that has been made
IN Ohio that General Lyle composed the
verses.
Mr.. Ruffin worked In Baton Rouge on
State printing, think, shortly before the
war commenced. He was in Memphis
however, when the storm burst IN the
spring OF 1861.
with many wishes for your health and
happiness. 1 am.
Yours very truly.
JOSEPH G. FIVEASH.
z. S.-My partner. Mr.. Edwards. says
that he thinks that Ruflin named the
Sugar Bowl as the paper that published
the poem. }. u +.
Since writing ne above Mr.. Robert w.
Tunstar. principal Of the Norfolk Acade-
my has called our attention TO the fact
that the poem was published as early az
1860, IN "rhe Poets and Poetry OF the
West" edited by William 7. CosseshalL
Note: See Library OF American Literature,
volume (. page Sl2.
In compliance with the request con-
tanned In the foregoing letter we nave
made such an Investigation as was IN
our power, and We are quite well satisfied
that General Lyle was In truth 'he
author OF the poem in question. Antony
and Cleopatra was certainly never writ
ten by General Allen, for tits the work
of a true poet, and though Allen was a
gallant soldier a splendid ana noble
gentleman. and a popular orator, there
was nothing of the poet about him The
Sugar Bowl was printed in New Iberia,
but long after the poem was gwen 10
the public. 1t might have been printed
IN the Planters Banner, published In
ST. Mary long before and long after the
war, by the late Daniel bennett
But while We believe that there Is not
a particle OF doubt that the poem was
written by the gallant Ohio soldier, the
facts are fatal TO the little romance that
has been woven around IL. and which
states that II was written by the General
by a campfire the night preceding the
bloody battle Of Chickamauga. In which
battle he was killed AS matter OF tact.
tho poem, as stated by our Norfoik
friend. was printed In 1850. fully three
years before the battle referred 10. ana
n extant in the Library OF American
Literature, volume s. page sl2. credited
TO the Poets and Poetry Of the West.
printed IN 1860. and the authorship credit
ed to Lyle
General Lyle was a gallant Federal
soldier. respected spd honored by the
Confederates. Our honored friend and
fellow-citizen. Major Douglass West.
who was himself a brave and loyal SOL
dier Of the Confederacy first discovered
she body Of Lytls on the field In his dying
u-Sments. and had him removed to the
Confederate hospital. Major West fur
uishes the States with the following In
tcresting ana very touching interview on
he subject:
COLONEL VESTS ACCOUNT.
There y no one more familiar with
The death and attendant circumstances
OF tho author Of II am Dying Egypt.
Dying" than Colonel Douglass West OF
this city. who performed such kindly
services towards . fallen foe sfter Gem
eral Lytle had received his death wounds.
Colonel West wan called on at his resi-
dsnce and asked TO narrate some OF
these Incidents. but the old soldier felt
constrained, feaHug that what he might
iAax veuil - considered usemptsd hy