18 Facts About Henry Timrod

Henry Timrod was an American poet, often called the "Poet of the Confederacy".

Henry Timrod's father, William Henry Timrod, was an officer in the Seminole Wars and a poet himself.

Henry Timrod attended a classical school where he befriended Paul Hamilton Hayne, his lifelong friend and fellow poet who would edit Timrod's work after he died.

Henry Timrod then studied at the University of Georgia beginning in 1847 with the help of a financial benefactor.

Henry Timrod was forced by illness to end his formal studies and returned to Charleston.

Henry Timrod took a position with a lawyer and planned to begin a law practice.

Henry Timrod left his legal studies by December 1850, calling it "distasteful", and focused more on writing and tutoring.

Henry Timrod was a member of Charleston's literati, and with John Dickson Bruns and Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve, could often be found in the company of their leader, William Gilmore Simms, whom they referred to as "Father Abbot," from one of his novels.

Henry Timrod was a frequent contributor to Russell's Magazine and to The Southern Literary Messenger.

On March 1,1862, Henry Timrod enlisted into the military as a private in Company B, 20th South Carolina Regiment, and was detailed for special duty as a clerk at regimental headquarters, but his tuberculosis prevented much service, and he was sent home.

Henry Timrod returned from the front and settled in Columbia, South Carolina, to become associate editor of the South Carolinian, a daily newspaper.

Henry Timrod moved his family into his sister and mother's home in Columbia.

Henry Timrod expressed his sorrow in the poem "Our Willie":.

Henry Timrod took a post as correspondent for a new newspaper based in Charleston, The Carolinian, but continued to reside in Columbia.

Henry Timrod continued to seek work, but continued to be disappointed.

Henry Timrod finally succumbed to consumption Sunday morning, October 7,1867, and was laid to rest in the churchyard at Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbia next to his son.

In terms of achievement, Henry Timrod is often compared to Sidney Lanier and John Greenleaf Whittier as poets who achieved significant stature by combining lyricism with a poetic capacity for nationalism.

In 1901, a monument with a bronze bust of Henry Timrod was dedicated in Charleston.