Samual Hawkins Marshall Byers
1838-1932
- Birthplace
- Pulaski, PA
- Died
- Los Angeles, CA
- Titles & Honors:
- "The Song of Iowa" is the regional anthem of the U.S. state of Iowa, written by S. H. M. Byers in 1867 and adopted as the official state song by the Iowa State Legislature on March 20, 1911.
- Occupation:
- Lawyer, U.S. Diplomat to Switzerland (15 years) and Italy, Poet, Soldier, Civil War Major
Major S.H.M. Byers moved from PA to Oskaloosa, IA, in 1852. He studied under a lawyer in Oskaloosa and became allowed into the Iowa Bar in 1861.
Byers was in the Civil War and served under William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman had Byers work as a courier to deliver messages to General Grant and Abraham Lincoln. Byers was captured at Missionary Ridge on November 24, 1863, and escaped after fifteen months of imprisonment.
He wrote “March to the Sea” while a prisoner of war. He also wrote “The Song of Iowa”. The song is set to the tune “O Tannenbaum,” Byers’ lyrics’ theme is centered on his love and praise for Iowa.
Additionally, he published “What I Saw in Dixie: Or Sixteen Months in Rebel Prisons,” “With Fire and Sword,” and “Iowa in Wartime,” which are invaluable contributions to Civil War scholarship.
Byers lived in St. Helene (house) near Terrace Hill in Des Moines. He donated an extensive collection of artwork, artifacts, and furniture he had collected from Europe to the Des Moines Women’s Club. Byers also donated a collection to Penn College.