The Wound Dresser

CONTENTS
The Great Army of the Wounded
Life among Fifty Thousand Soldiers
Hospital Visits
Letters of 1862-3
Letters of 1864
BIO
Walt Whitman (May 31, 1819 - March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse. His work was controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sensuality. Whitman's own life came under scrutiny for his presumed homosexuality.
Born in Huntington on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, and a government clerk. At age 11, he left formal schooling to go to work. As a child and through much of his career he resided in Brooklyn. Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money. The work was an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic. He continued expanding and revising it until his death in 1892. During the American Civil War, he went to Washington, D.C. and worked in hospitals caring for the wounded. His poetry often focused on both loss and healing. Two of his well known poems, "O Captain! My Captain!" and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd", were written on the death of Abraham Lincoln. After a stroke towards the end of his life, Whitman moved to Camden, New Jersey, where his health further declined. When he died at age 72, his funeral was a public event.
Whitman's influence on poetry remains strong. Mary Smith Whitall Costelloe argued: "You cannot really understand America without Walt Whitman, without Leaves of Grass ... He has expressed that civilization, 'up to date,' as he would say, and no student of the philosophy of history can do without him." Modernist poet Ezra Pound called Whitman "America's poet ... He is America." (wikipedia.org)

Walt Whitman was an American poet, journalist, and essayist, born on May 31, 1819, in West Hills, New York. He is best known for his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which he published in 1855. This collection is considered a masterpiece of American literature and is known for its bold, free verse style and celebration of nature, democracy, and the common man.Whitman grew up in a large family and had limited formal education, but he was an avid reader and taught himself a variety of skills, including typesetting and printing. He began his career as a journalist and worked for a number of newspapers throughout his life. During the Civil War, he volunteered as a nurse and saw firsthand the suffering of soldiers. This experience influenced his later writing, and he became known for his compassionate and empathetic portrayal of humanity in his work.In addition to his work as a writer, Walt Whitman was also a social and political activist. He was an advocate for women's rights, abolitionism, and the rights of workers. His writing often addressed these issues directly and he was known for his progressive views. Whitman believed in the power of literature to effect social change and he used his writing to promote the idea of a more democratic and egalitarian society. His poetry and essays continue to inspire and influence readers today, making him an enduring figure in American literary and cultural history.Whitman's writing was often controversial in his time, but it has had a lasting impact on American literature and culture. His work influenced many writers, including Langston Hughes and Allen Ginsberg, and his celebration of the individual and the natural world continue to resonate with readers today. Whitman died on March 26, 1892, in Camden, New Jersey, but his legacy as a pioneering figure in American literature endures.