Tag Archives: Walt Whitman

Unpublished: What’s Not in the O.R.s?

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Chris Mackowski

As Walt Whitman famously said, “The real war will never get in the books.” When I think if “unpublished sources,” I start wondering broadly about what never made it into print. As this series has demonstrated, there’s a ton of … Continue reading →

Posted in Primary Sources | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Weekly Whitman In Review: October 31, 2021-October 31, 2020

Posted on November 21, 2021 by Meg Groeling

The final installment of the Weekly Whitman is an index of all the poems, newspaper articles, movie-and-TV bits, and everything else I could think of to expand a reader’s ideas about a man who is considered by many to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Personalities, Ties to the War | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Weekly Whitman: “To a Historian”

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Meg Groeling

A year has passed since I began this column, and it has been an interesting one for me. Being in the hospital was the only thing that interfered with “Weekly Walt.” When I found the poem below, I knew I … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Weekly Whitman: “Years of the Modern”

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Meg Groeling

Whenever I read this poem, I think perhaps Walt Whitman could predict the future. I see—from my perspective as a white American cis-gendered female—our country’s history unfolding, from our personal struggles against a monarchy to our current ones against recast … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Personalities | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Weekly Whitman: “To the Leaven’D Soil They Trod”

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Meg Groeling

Readers–the first Weekly Whitman came out at the end of October, and the last one is coming up soon. I missed several weeks in the hospital so there will not be exactly 52 entries, but these last ones have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Books & Authors | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Weekly Whitman and the World Series

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Meg Groeling

It is October, and the World Series is on the way. As a Yankee fan, I was disappointed this year–not just in the final results. It was a difficult season for Yankee fans, but even disappointing baseball is better than … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Weekly Whitman: Jottings on an Execution

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Meg Groeling

Walt Whitman was able, by his very presence in Union hospitals and army camps, to write about parts of the war that were little reported. Below is a description of a young Union soldier who deserted, and whom Lincoln failed … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Common Soldier | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Weekly Whitman: In Clouds Descending, In Midnight Sleep

Posted on September 26, 2021 by Meg Groeling

Sleeping? Dead? Ill? Until brought by the medics sometimes it was impossible to tell. It still is, whether we are looking at old photos, drone footage, or the latest breaking news. I do not know what more to say, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Soldier, Medical | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Weekly Whitman: “I Saw Old General at Bay”

Posted on September 19, 2021 by Meg Groeling

This week’s poem is a puzzle of sorts–just who is “old General?” I always thought it was Confederate General Robert E. Lee, but the copy of Whitman’s poems I usually use (Drum Taps: The Complete Civil War Poems) has a … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership--Confederate, Leadership--Federal | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Weekly Whitman: “Weave in, My Hardy Life”

Posted on September 12, 2021 by Meg Groeling

In my work on Colonel Elmer Ellsworth there is a description of the man by John Hay, future Lincoln secretary and Roosevelt Secretary of State. Hay mentions that the picture shows the physical strength and definition of Ellsworth’s upper arm. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments