STEDMAN, Edmund Clarence, poet, born in Hartford, Connecticut, 8 October, 1833. He is the son of Edmund B. Stedman, a merchant of Hartford, and Elizabeth C. Dodge, a sister of William E. Dodge, who, subsequent to the death of Mr. Stedman in 1835, married William B. Kinney. Through his mother Mr. Stedman is further related to William Ellery Channing and to Bishop Arthur Cleveland Coxe. He was prepared for college by his great-uncle, James Stedman, and entered Yale in 1849. As an undergraduate he distinguished himself in Greek and in English composition. His poem of "Westminster Abbey," published in the "Yale Literary Magazine" in 1851, received a first prize. In his junior year he was suspended for irregularities, and he did not return to receive his degree, but in 1871 the college authorities restored him to his class, and conferred on him the degree of A.M. He became editor of the Nor-with" Tribune" in 1852, and in 1854 of the Winsted "Herald," but two years later he relinquished this post after establishing some reputation for the pure literary tone of his journal. He then removed to New York city, where for many years he contributed to "Vanity Fair," "Putnam's Monthly," "Harper's Magazine," and other periodicals. After a hard struggle for a competence, he drifted into journalism. His poems, "The Diamond Wedding," a widely read satire on a society event, "How Old John Brown took Harper's Ferry," "The Ballad of Lager-Bier," and similar lyrics, appeared in the "Tribune" during 1859, and their success led him to issue his" Poems, Lyric and Idyllic" (New York, 1860). In 1860 he joined the editorial staff of the "World," and he was its war-correspondent in 1861-'3, during the early campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, from the headquarters of General Irvin McDowell and General George B. McClellan, and then from Washington. He afterward accepted a confidential appointment under Attorney-General Bates, but in 1864 he returned to New York, and relinquished journalism to adopt some pursuit that would afford him more leisure for literary work. Mr. Stedman soon purchased a seat in the stock exchange, and became a broker. His poetry of this period is included in his "Alice of Monmouth, an Idyl of the Great War, and other Poems" (New York, 1864), which was followed by "The Blameless Prince, and other Poems" (Boston, 1869). A collective edition of his "Poetical Works" was published in 1873. With Thomas B. Aldrich he edited "Cameos " (Boston, 1874), selected from the works of Walter Savage Landor; also, with an introduction, "Poems of Austin Dobson" (New York, 1880). About 1875 he began to devote attention to critical writing, and contributed to "Scribner's Monthly" a series of sketches of the poets and poetry of Great Britain from the accession of Queen Victoria to the present time, which were rewritten and published as " Victorian Poets" (Boston, 1875 ; London, 1876; 13th ed., with a supplement, bringing it down to 1887). In a similar manner he prepared "Poets of America," a critical review of American poets and poetry (Boston, 1886). At present he is engaged with Ellen M. Hutchinson in editing a "Library of American Literature," to be completed in ten volumes, of which three are now published (1888). Mr. Stedman has delivered several poems on public occasions. Of these the more important are " Gettysburg," read at the annual meeting of the Army of the Potomac in Cleveland in 1871, and the " Dartmouth Ode," delivered in 1873 before that college. In 1876 he read "The Monument of Greeley" at the dedication in Greenwood cemetery of the printers' monument to Horace Greeley, and in 1878 he delivered his poem on "The Death of Bryant" before the Century club. At the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Yale class of 1853 he read "Meridian, an Old-Fashioned Poem," and in July, 1881, his "Corda Concordia" was read before the Summer school of philosophy. He has also been engaged at intervals during many years on a complete metrical translation of the Greek idyllic poets. His other publications include "Rip Van Winkle and His Wonderful Nap" (Boston, 1870); "Octavius Brooks Frothingham and the New Faith" (New York, 1876); "Favorite Poems" (Boston, 1877); "Hawthorne, and other Poems" (1877); "Lyrics and Idylls, with other Poems " (London, 1879); " The Raven, with Comments on the Poem" (Boston, 1883); and a "Household Edition" of his poems (1884).--His cousin, Griffin Alexander, soldier, born in Hartford, Connecticut, 6 January, 1838; died near Petersburg, Virginia, 6 August, 1864, was graduated at Trinity in 1859, and began to study law, but in 1861 entered the volunteer army as captain in the 5th Connecticut regiment. He was transferred to the 11th Connecticut as major after seeing service in the Shenandoah valley, and took part in the battle of Antietam, leading half of the regiment in the charge on the stone bridge, and receiving a severe wound. He commanded the regiment at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg, and at the beginning of the overland campaign of 1864 was placed at the head of a brigade. He repeatedly won the commendation of his superiors, and was mortally wounded in one of the skirmishes that followed the mine-explosion at Petersburg. Fort Stedman, one of the works near that place, had been named for him. He had been strongly recommended for promotion to brigadier-general, and was given that rank by brevet, to date from 5 August, 1864. His grave at Hartford is marked by a monument of granite and bronze.