The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
LYLE AT %CHICKAMAUGA.
THE DEATH or THE AUTHOR OF
THE POEM "I An DING,
E0rPT, DTING.D


w. ~ - ~ "
Gen. Rosecrans's fatal order OF Sept. 20, 1863,
Issued to Gen. Wood under a misapprehen.
sion Of the situation, 20 "close up on Reynolds
and support him. resulted directly In u dis
astrous break In the Union lines at Chicka-
manga. and indirectly In the death of the
gifted Gen. William III. Lytle, lawyer, poet,
and soldier. He was the only Union General
officer who lost his life on that field. 1t can
we'll and truthfully DO said that some other
could better have boon spared than he. In q
superhuman effort TO step the furious onset
of the Confederate columns which unexpect-
eddy attacked while Scridan's division was In
motion to tho left, Lytlc, seemingly marked by
Death for its own, received three severe wounds
the last one in the head and mortal, and
died on the field which he had refused TO leave.
When the fatal wound was received he was
In the thickcst of the fight. stcadyinR the men
Of the Twenty. fourth Wisconsin up to n now
line Of battle, heroically and ably endcavorlng
TO stay the threatening tide Of disaster.
As a soldier he was respected and admired
by the whole army. Gen. Sheridan said In his
official report of this battle: In him LLytlel
the country lost an able General and the ser.
vice q gallant soldier"
Col. Silas Miller, who succeeded Lyle In
com nand of the brigade, uses this language:
'While ~rallying the men TO the formation OF
LIlS HUG VI IoDlO anu CIV tu iOIlIlitlitltI y
two or three dimes wounded previously. Dur
ing this action he had pcrslstently refused to
leave the field. but, gallantly doing more than
his duty to the men he loved and who wor-
shipped him, he sacrificed himself without re-
luctance. No words or eulOgics Of men can
add any lustrc to his deeds OF heroic daring or
render more honorcd and rcvercd among men
the name and memory of William II. Lyle
ten. Rosecrans made this reference to Lytle
"As Brig. Gen. Lytle fell leading n gallant
charge against the foe advancing on our re-
treating troops, | may be excused for depart
ing from the strict rule of mentioning those
officers whose good conduct could be properly
officially noticed by the General commanding
only. This brave and generous young officer.
whose first wounds were received while fight
ing under my command at Carniefx Ferry,
where he fell, desperately wounded, at the
head of his egiment was also badly wounded
and taken prisoner at the battle Of Perryville,
where he repealed a desperate onslaught Of the
enemy. On reioining the Army of the Cum
berland, with his well earned rank of Brigadicr.
he was assigned second in command to Cen.
Sheridan. When he fell gloriously on the field
OF Chickamauga, Ohio lost one of her jewels
AMI the service one of its most patriotic and
promising general orticers.'
On the 9th Of August. six weeks previous to
the battle of Chickamauga. the officers of the
nessee River. presented Lyle with a iewelied
Maltese cross in token OF the high esteem in
which they held their former Colonel. In &c.
cepting II Lytle made n singularly eloquent
and touching speech, the more SO because of
being addressed to the grim veterans of II score
of battles, in the midst of his last campaign.
The closing paragraph was II prophecy:
1t will be for you, above all Others, when
to the minds of the people the admonition:
80 1t IL excellent
To have II giants strength; but 1t Is tyrannous
To use II Ike a giant.
the bloody footprints that war will leave; to
bury in oblivion ali. animosities against your
standing on stricken fields. forever memorable
n history; side by side with, the Nirginian. the
bronze or marble the glowing epitaph that tells
us of southern as well ". Northern ralor. That
for | have faith in the courage. the wisdom.
and the Justice Of the people. IT may not be
for al of us here to day to listen to the chants
that greet the victor, nor to heal, the brazen
bells ring o1t the new %nuptials Of the States.
the, people how their Old comrades, Whether
in the skirmish or the charge. before the rifle
in the great war for Union and liberty"
His troops having been driven back in the
general break OF the Union lines on that part
OF the field. Lytle unfortunately breathcd
his last within the Confederate lines, his life
being nearly spent as thew charged in vic.
the dying General probably knew it not. His
remains were treated with marked respect by
Where VII RENE" he fell. About tkRrc De'I weck Hs' afterw H,%I
the body was recovered under a flag of truce
sent out by Gen. Roserrans. AMI taken To On,
cinnati by a guard OF honor from his old
regiment. the Tenth Ohio. where it was in
TERED in Spring Grove Cemetery with impos-
Gen. II, Y, Boynton. the distinguished his
torian of the Chattanooga Battle Park Com
Gently received from GOV. William G. Oates of
Alabama the true story of the finding Of the
body Of Lyle, and an acc2mpanying act OF sym,
Colonel Of an Alabama regiment which %partici;
pated in the successful Confederate rush, and
Zen. Deas's brigade Of Hindsmsn's division,
which assaulted Lytle's lines. had been checked
portion OF IL was falling back. AT that mo
lGtnt Col: Oates's regiment arrived. and tho
Confederats line was steadied and again ad.
up the gentle slope, upon which Lytlc's short
line wns formed. Col. Oates came upon n Union
tally wounded. past the power OF speech. and
with the noon sun shining full upon his face:
the field are fully informed. Col. Oates dis
mounted mo Ins and t%k ! the e0s stricken Li c n General M by
OF sfG q S nin = trrs aT Ieft I'M, pune" there h' anh ih folI Ins eh9 his
line into the final assault. Returning with his
regiment after the crest was carried, he again
found him Just dying. Then, upon inquiring
Of upion wounded lying near, he first learned
II Is related that Il wounded or captured Fed
erI officer requested Major Douglas West. a
Confederate OfflCer, TO protsct the body Of the
dead General, which he took steps to do. West
says that on hearing the name of Lytle he, was
thrilled. being familiar with the poem which
made the name immortal. :" He took in his
keeping the Generals sword belt and scaDbard,
pistol, portemOnnaie, memorandum book, spurs,
and even his shoulder straps. The foregoing
account is both interesting and necessary. be-
cause of the absurd fiction, that Lytle. while
lying wounded on the battlefield, composed the
celebrated poem Antony and Cleopatra" lie
was insensiDle when his stall officers left him
To seek safety by night. A n matter of fact
his name had been made famous before the
war by this poem, which was written In 1888.
Gen. BoyntOn says: "On that sunday night
in September. ,thIrty-two Years ago, when it
became widely known In both armies that Gen.
Lyle had fallen, there was instant and uni
versal tribute paid to his memory by countless
recitals of tho poem i Am Dying. Egypt, by.
ing So died Lytle with his harness on, and
far and wide around the mCmOrill pile which
marks the. spot where he fell, in the deadliest
swirl OF the battle, now rise monuments and
tablets In marble and bronze. telling to this
generation, AID preserving for those 10 come,
the story OF Southern us well as Northern
yalor.' :" Upon the spot where Lyle fell the
Park Commission has erected Il triangular
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