"Though often neglected today, South Carolinian Henry Timrod (1828-1867) ranks with Poe and Lanier as the finest of nineteenth-century Southern poets. Henry Timrod: A Biography is the first complete and thoroughly researched study of the poet's life." "Though Timrod's short life was overshadowed by poverty, illness, and disappointment, he never lost sight of his poetic calling. Longfellow described Timrod's verse as "very powerful and impressive," concluding that his poetry belonged "in every cultivated home in the United States." Whittier looked for the day "when no sectional feeling will interfere with the recognition of his genius." Walter Brian Cisco's authority derives from research in many manuscript collections, the careful examination of letters, newspapers, documents, and other primary sources." "Cisco describes how Timrod is revealed in the four extant photographic images of the poet reproduced in this volume: "Sitting for a portrait in mid-1850s Charleston is a confident young man, filled with promise. Timrod's gray eyes, remembered a friend, 'though slightly melancholy in repose, flashed with excitement and sparkled with mirth under their long curling lashes.' Secession and war would change everything. In 1861 Timrod's fame as a poet soared, as did the hopes of fellow Confederates. His countenance then seems to glow with quiet pride. Two years later a weariness is evidenced in eyes dimmed by the continued carnage and his own physical decline. Faith in the justness of his country's cause could not stave off defeat. Stricken with poverty, grief, and a hopeless disease, the poet still strove to endure." "Timrod the man emerges from undeserved obscurity. A compelling portrait and an invaluable contribution to the study of Southern letters, Henry Timrod: A Biography captures the passion of the poet and his time."--BOOK JACKET.