James DeRuyter Blackwell
About the Poet
James DeRuyter Blackwell (18 March 1828 – 5 September 1901) of Warrenton, Virginia is a celebrated author and poet of the American Civil War era. He attended Randolph-Macon College and graduated from Dickinson College. He studied and practiced law before serving in the Army of the Confederacy and was honorably discharged in 1864. He gave up law due to health reasons and devoted his life to literature.
His experiences from the Civil War can be seen in much of his work as published in his The Poetical Works of J. Der. Blackwell, 1879, (E. J. Hale and Son, New York) has been in print for over 130 years. It contains such poems as "The Dead Drummer Boy", "The Unknown Grave" and "Forget Not the Dead". The poem "War" specifically mentions the battles along the Rappahannock River in Virginia, considered the eastern boundary between the Union and the Confederate States of America. Blackwell is often read or quoted in Memorial and Veterans Day observances.
From Wikipedia
Region
Northern
Virginia City or County Affiliation
Warrenton, Virginia
Years of Residence in Virginia
73 Years
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Year of Birth
18 March 1828 – 5 September 1901
Published Works or Performances
The Poetical Works of J. Der. Blackwell, 1879, (E. J. Hale and Son, New York). It contains such poems as "The Dead Drummer Boy", "The Unknown Grave" and "Forget Not the Dead"
James DeRuyter Blackwell