Biography
Byron Forceythe Willson (April 10, 1837 - February 2, 1867) was a nineteenth century American poet. He was the brother of Kentucky governor Augustus E. Willson.
Willson attended Antioch College in Ohio and Harvard University but was prevented from finishing a credential by the onset of tuberculosis. Instead, he became an editorial writer for the Louisville Journal (later part of the Louisville Courier-Journal.) His missives often defended the Union cause in the Civil War. He also published some of his early poetry in the Journal, including his most famous work, "The Old Sergeant," which told a real account of actual people.
In 1864, Willson moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to oversee the education of his brother Augustus. On a return trip to New Albany, he was stricken with a hemorrhage of the lung. Though he eventually recovered enough to make the return trip, he died February 2, 1867. ..
