Sidney Lanier 1842-1881

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Sidney Lanier1842-1881
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Facts

• Born February 3, 1842 in Macon, GA
• Went to Atlantas Oglethorpe College in 1857 as a
  sophomore, graduating at the top of his class in
  July 1860

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Influences

• He was inspired by the writings of Byron,
  Tennyson, Scott, and other romantic writers.
• Also, his love of nature acquired while
  growing up in rural Georgia, eventually led him
  to a career as a poet and novelist.

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Musical Gifts, No Wonder

• An accomplished musician, Lanier was first
  flutist of the Peabody Orchestra, Baltimore, in
  1873.
• Lanier's ancestry can be traced back to Jerome
  Lanier, who was  a musical composer for Queen
  Elizabeth I.
• Jerome's son was a musician for
• James I and Charles I.

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Death

• Lanier died September 7, 1881.
• He died at 39 of tuberculosis which was
  contracted during the Civil War.
• He is buried at the Green Mount Cemetery in
  Baltimore, Maryland.

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Famous Works

• His first work, the novel Tiger-Lilies (1867),
  was based on his experiences as a Confederate
  soldier in the Civil War.
• He is most famous works include The Marshes of
  Glynn
• and Song of the Chattahoochee.

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• The Centennial Meditation (a cantata)
• The Boys King Author, 1880
• A couple of books of poetry by Lanier were
  published.
• He wrote many lectures on various topics.

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Personal Stamp

• On February 3, 1972, the U.S. Postal Service
  issued an 8-cent commemorative stamp honoring
  Georgia poet Sidney Lanier on the 130th
  anniversary of his birth. First day of issue
  ceremonies were held in Macon, where Lanier was
  born.

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Civil War Life

• In the spring of 1861, Lanier enlisted in the
  Army of the Confederacy, in the Macon Volunteers.
• He later served as a scout in Virginia.
• In August 1864, he became a signal officer on
  board one of the Confederate blockade runners
  operating out of Wilmington, NC.

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• On November 2, 1864, Lanier was a signal officer
  aboard the blockade runner Lucy.
• That night it was captured.
• Lanier spent a miserable time as a prisoner of
  war in Camp Point Lookout in St. Marys County,
  Maryland.
• While in the prison camp, he contracted
  tuberculosis, and he suffered from consumption
  for the rest of his life.
• Tiger Lilies was the outcome of this experience.

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Homes

• Macon, Georgia
• Oglethorpe College, Midway, Georgia
• Point Clear, Mobile Bay
• Montgomery, Alabama
• Prattville, Alabama
• San Antonio, Texas
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Sunnyside, Georgia
• Rockingham Springs, Virginia
• Richmond Hill, North Carolina
• Lynn, North Carolina

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Occupations

• Clerk at Macon, Georgia
• Post office
• Tutor for Oglethorpe College
• Soldier
• Clerk at Montgomery, Alabama
• Teacher
• Poet
• Lawyer

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Souls and Rain-Drops

• Light rain-drops fall and wrinkle the sea,
• Then vanish, and die utterly.
• One would not know that rain-drops fell
• If the round sea-wrinkles did not tell.
• So souls come down and wrinkle life
• And vanish in the flesh-sea strife
• One might not know that souls had place
• Were't not for the wrinkles in life's face.