Henry Timrod
Henry Timrod was a notable 19th-century poet from Charleston, South Carolina, widely recognized for his contributions to Confederate poetry during the American Civil War. Born into a family that valued literature and culture, he was influenced by his father's amateur poetry and the intellectual atmosphere of his childhood home. Timrod excelled in his studies, particularly in Latin, and briefly attended the University of Georgia before pursuing law, which he eventually abandoned for writing.
His early poetry was published in local periodicals, and he became part of a literary circle with fellow poets like Paul Hamilton Hayne. Timrod's reputation grew significantly with the publication of his poems in Russell's Magazine, where he contributed over thirty-seven works. His most impactful poetry emerged during the Civil War, with notable pieces like "The Cotton Boll" and "Ode," which earned him the title of Confederate Laureate.
Despite his literary success, Timrod faced ongoing financial struggles and health issues throughout his life. After a brief military service, he worked as an editor and continued to write, but personal tragedies, including the loss of his son, deeply affected him. Timrod passed away at the young age of thirty-eight, leaving behind a legacy as an important figure in Southern literature.
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Henry Timrod
Poet
- Born: December 8, 1828
- Birthplace: Charleston, South Carolina
- Died: October 7, 1867
- Place of death: Columbia, South Carolina
Biography
Henry Timrod, a nineteenth century poet, was born in Charleston, South Carolina. His father, William Henry Timrod, was an amateur poet and a bookbinder whose shop was a gathering place for lawyers, scholars, writers, and other intellectuals. Timrod attended the Classical School of Christopher Cotes, which was considered the best school in Charleston. There he excelled in Latin studies and was introduced to the classical works of Virgil, Horace, and Catullus. His classmates were Paul Hamilton Hayne, who later became a well-known poet, and Basil L. Gildersleeve, who became an elite classical scholar.
In 1845, Timrod briefly attended the University of Georgia before dropping out due to financial difficulties. After leaving the university, he returned home and began studying law with James Louis Petrigru, the former attorney general of South Carolina. Also at this time, Timrod published his first poems in the Charleston Evening News. Preferring writing to law, Timrod discontinued his law studies and focused on a writing career. In order to support himself while pursuing his writing career, Timrod took work as a private tutor on numerous Carolina plantations. By 1849, he was contributing regularly to several periodicals, including the Southern Literary Messenger, Southern Literary Gazette, and the Charleston Evening News.
While living in Charleston, Timrod reconnected with his former classmates Payne and Glendersleeve and together they formed a literary group which met in the back of John Russell’s bookshop. In 1857, Hayne became the editor of Russell’s Magazine and published several of Timrod’s poems. Eventually, Timrod’s work gained popularity and boosted the magazine’s sales. During the three-year publication of Russell’s Magazine, Timrod contributed more than thirty-seven poems and established his reputation as a poet. Several of these poems were collected in Poems (1859), the only book published in his lifetime.
While Timrod found moderate success as a classical poet, his real fame was not established until the onset of the Civil War. The tragedy of this war charged Timrod’s emotions, enabling him to write his most noted works such as “The Cotton Boll,” “A Cry to Arms,” and “Ode.” These works were regarded as the most significant representation of Confederate poetry and earned Timrod the title of the Confederate Laureate.
Timrod was inflicted with both poverty and ill health for most of his life. In 1862, after only a brief stint in the Confederate military, Timrod was discharged from duty due to poor health. After his discharge, he moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where he became the associate editor of a small periodical, the Columbia Daily South Carolinian. In 1864, he married Katie S. Goodwin with whom he had a son, Willie. In Timrod’s final years, constant financial stress contributed to his failing health. In 1865, the death of his son took away his will to live and he died two years later at the age of thirty-eight.