Lyon, Hylan Benton, 1836-1907 (SC 3743)

Finding aid for Manuscripts Small Collection 3743. Letters, 1862 (6), of Confederate General Hylan B. Lyon to his wife Laura; letter, 1859, of Laura to her husband; and letter, 1866, of Lyon to his sister-in-law Florence. Writing to Lyon while he served in Washington Territory, Laura sends family news and expresses hope for his safety. Writing to his wife from Tennessee and from Fort Warren, Massachusetts, where he is being held as a prisoner of war, Lyon refers to a false report of his death; provides war news; and discusses arrangements for their reunion after a hoped-for prisoner exchange, urging Laura to remain loyal to him and to “anyone who clings to the ‘Old South.’” Lyon’s letter to his sister-in-law, written after Laura’s death, gives a detailed account of his war service since December 1864, including his courthouse-burning raids, and refers to his current service in Mexico as an engineer. Includes a photograph of Laura Lyon and typescripts of the letters by Laura's great-grandniece, Millicent Phelan (Click on "Additional Files" below for scans).