Archibald Lytle was born in Scotland in about 1730. A resident of Orange County, North Carolina, he joined the Continental Line as a captain of the 6th Regiment in 1776 and became a lieutenant colonel in 1777. He became a prisoner of war during the Siege of Charleston in 1780 and was paroled and exchanged in 1782. He later served as a local office holder in Hillsborough and also served in the state house from 1784 to 1785. He died in Robeson County, North Carolina on June 20, 1790.