Brigadier General William Haines Lytle: The Union’s Poet-Soldier

Federal Brigadier General William Haines Lytle was a poet, Civil War soldier, lawyer, orator, friend, beloved brother, jilted lover, flirt, drunk, unfocused talent and sometimes genius. He produced at least one beautiful poem that lives on to this day. This full biography gives ample attention to the three battles in which Lytle fought, but does not neglect his relationships with family, friends, and lovers. Talented, charming, and well-liked, even by his enemies, Lytle was a cultured gentleman who made friends easily. At the same time, he was also devoted to his troops and a fearless warrior on the battlefield. Drawing on Lytle’s own written words, the words of his family, newspaper correspondents and other primary sources, this painstakingly researched and well-illustrated biography paints a detailed portrait of William Haines Lytle.

Bryan W. Lane is an OSHA consultant and trainer for the University of Tennessee. His Civil War works have been published in the Civil War Times Illustrated and Blue & Gray Magazine. He lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee.