Exploring Whitman

In the introduction to Memoranda, Whitman expresses his fears of the Civil War being forgotten and writes, “In the mushy influence of current times, the fervid atmosphere and typical events of those years are in danger of being totally forgotten” (5). However, in the lament Whitman gives, Whitman himself acknowledges that the “real war” can never be captured. Yet, the fact that Whitman put forth his diary entries to the public was his attempt to capture history. As a “Yankee”, (I’m from Massachusetts), I did not have the home of the Civil war at my doorstep like I do now. So, my sense of the Civil War came solely from textbooks. So it was more of a “factual” knowledge of dates, locations, and generals, never the nitty gritty details that Whitman provides in Speciman Days.

Working in the makeshift hospitals, Whitman witnessed death everyday. But, was Whitman, truly capturing all of the horrors of death and war in his prose? Or was Whitman like the textbook’s filtering what the public can see? I would like to think that Whitman included to his best ability everything that he witnessed. However, even Whitman acknowledges that readers can not truly understand the atrocities of war without being in the battlefield. In “Death of A Hero”, Whitman writes, “ I wonder if I could ever convey to another, to you, for instance, reader dear- the tender and terrible realities of such cases” (768). However, Whitman highlights the moments in Fredericksburg and in the war in which he found important and touching. Whether it is describing Abraham Lincoln on a horse or the “Ambulance Processions”, Whitman conveys through the written word what was occurring in the south during the Civil War.

What struck me was how Whitman even throughout his entries in Specimen Days finds his writing talent as important not only to “record history” but as a means of comfort to soldiers. In many of the entries Whitman describes how he would write letters for the wounded soldiers and send them to their family, friends, and loved ones at home. Whitman used writing to unite the nation, both in letters, his prose, and poetry. Whitman did not have much to offer these soldiers, yet he mentions “letters” as one of the gifts and services that he provided. From the way Whitman writes in the entries, it seems as though Whitman became known for his letter writing service. In the introduction to Memoranda Whitman alludes that he wants his written word to withstand time in order to commemorate those that died in the Civil War. Yet, it can be argued that these written letters he wrote for the wounded and dying soldiers are physical evidence, a primary source, which truly captures the feelings and atrocities of the Civil War.

Whitman day in and day out was right beside the soldiers as they died. However, although he could have left and gone back to New York, he remained in the mist of the battles. Whitman reflects on his personal commitment to stay and writes, “I do not see that I do much good to the wounded and dying; but I can not leave them.” (Erkkila 198). Nonetheless, witnessing these deaths obviously had a great affect on him, as it would anyone. Therefore, Whitman used both his observations and feelings that these observations sparked as his muse. While taking care of the soldiers in the hospitals, Whitman assisted both men and young boys from the North and South. Thus, as we discussed in class last week, in his poetry after the war there are more nationalistic words and phrases. Whitman, witnessing as many deaths as he did, saw how precious and fragile life was. Therefore, Whitman wanted his readers to not only to remember the war and many soldiers that died, but to also learn from the war and unite as a nation.