Born in Goshen, New York, Ethel Lynn Beers was born Ethelinda Eliot. Her father was Puritan missionary John Eliot. At the age of 19, Ethelinda (who had already published under the name “Ethel Lynn”) married William H. Beers.

Beers is most well-known for her Civil War poetry. Besides “The Picket-Guard” (“All Quiet along the Potomac Tonight”), she also published the popular poems “Weighing the Baby”, “Which Shall It Be?”, and “Baby Looking Out For Me.” Her poems were published in popular publications, such as Harper’s Weekly and New York Ledger.

Beers died the day after her collected works (All Quiet along the Potomac Tonight and Other Poems) were published.

–Christie Finn