Tessa Quinn
During the American Civil War, Walt Whitman's brother, George Washington Whitman, was listed among those wounded in the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. Fearing the worst, Whitman rushed to Washington, where he searched for his brother in numerous hospitals. Whitman's relief upon finding his brother alive soon turned to horror as he witnessed the devastating human costs of war. This experience profoundly impacted Whitman, leading him to devote himself to visiting wounded soldiers in Washington's military hospitals throughout the Civil War.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for visiting hospitals | To find his brother, George Washington Whitman, who was listed among the wounded in the Battle of Fredericksburg |
| Year of visits | 1862 onward |
| Hospitals visited | Campbell Hospital, Carver, Cliffburne, Finley, Emory, Campbell, Armory Square Hospital, Judiciary Square, Mount Pleasant, Stanton, Harewood, Lincoln |
| Number of visits | More than 600 |
| Number of soldiers spoken to | 100,000 |
| Activities during visits | Writing letters, holding and comforting soldiers, giving gifts, sharing stories, witnessing amputations |
| Number of years spent in Washington | 10 |
| Publications inspired by visits | "The Great Army of the Sick", "Memoranda During the War" |
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What You'll Learn
Walt Whitman's brother, George, was injured in the Civil War
Walt Whitman's brother, George Whitman, served in the Union Army during the Civil War as part of the 51st New York Infantry Regiment. George kept his family updated by sending letters with vivid details of the battlefront. On December 13, 1862, George was listed among those wounded in the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Fearing the worst, Walt rushed to Washington, where he believed his brother was mortally wounded in a hospital. After several days of searching, Walt discovered that George had only suffered a superficial wound on his cheek.
George Whitman's regiment, the 51st New York, was one of the most travelled during the war. They fought alongside Gen. Ambrose Burnside's expeditionary force to the North Carolina coast and were part of the Ninth Corps at Second Manassas and Antietam. George's letters home provided a glimpse into the realities of war, and his brother Walt was profoundly affected by his experiences. Walt decided to remain in Washington, beginning three years of tending to the wounded and visiting patients daily in various Civil War hospitals. He spent hours listening to their stories, writing letters to their families, and bringing them small gifts like fresh oranges and licorice candy.
Walt Whitman's experiences in the military hospitals inspired him to write about his observations. He authored "The Great Army of the Sick," published in a New York newspaper in 1863, and a book, "Memoranda During the War," released in 1875. Whitman's time in Washington also influenced some of his most renowned poetry collections, including "Drum Taps" and "Sequel to Drum Taps", as well as the famous poem "Oh Captain! My Captain!".
In addition to his literary endeavours, Walt Whitman volunteered as a nurse in the army hospitals. He sat with soldiers through long nights, witnessed amputations, and wrote letters on behalf of those who were illiterate or dying. Whitman's compassion and dedication to the wounded soldiers left a lasting impact, as evidenced by the gratitude expressed by those he helped, such as Lewis Brown. Whitman's self-appointed rounds in the hospitals led him to form connections with soldiers like Brown and Thomas Sawyer, to whom he wrote, "You must not forget me, for I shall never forget you."
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Whitman visited wounded soldiers in Washington hospitals
Walt Whitman's visits to military hospitals in Washington, D.C., were motivated by his brother, George Washington Whitman, who was listed among the wounded in the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. Fearing the worst, Whitman rushed to Washington, expecting to find his brother mortally wounded. After several days of searching across nearly forty hospitals, he found George alive but with a facial wound.
The horrors of war and the suffering of soldiers profoundly impacted Whitman. He wrote of the "sad, sad sights" of "noble young men with legs and arms taken off". Whitman's purpose was to bring "cheer and companionship" to the thousands of wounded, ill, and infected soldiers in Washington's hospitals. He visited soldiers at Armory Square Hospital, Campbell Hospital, and Mount Pleasant Hospital, among others. Whitman shared kind words, smiles, and small gifts with the soldiers, considering them "the real precious & royal ones of this land". He also wrote letters on behalf of illiterate or dying soldiers to their loved ones.
Whitman's experiences in Washington's Civil War hospitals deeply influenced his psyche and poetic vision. He nursed and comforted soldiers, held them, and listened to their stories. He witnessed amputations and the aftermath of battle, including a "heap of amputated feet, legs, arms, and hands". Whitman's work inspired his article, "The Great Army of the Sick", and his book, "Memoranda During the War", published in 1875.
Whitman's visits to the hospitals were not without criticism. A Sanitary Commission member, Harriet Hawley, complained about Whitman's presence and influence on the soldiers. However, the soldiers themselves, like Union Colonel Richard Hinton, appreciated Whitman's easy-going style and acts of kindness.
Whitman's dedication to the wounded soldiers in Washington's hospitals spanned three years, with over 600 visits and interactions with approximately 100,000 soldiers. His efforts brought comfort and support to those suffering the trauma of war.
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He nursed soldiers by writing letters and giving gifts
During the American Civil War, Walt Whitman embarked on a journey to Washington in 1862, intending to find his wounded brother, George Washington Whitman, who was listed among those injured in the Battle of Fredericksburg. This trip marked the beginning of Whitman's three-year dedication to visiting wounded soldiers in Washington's military hospitals.
Whitman's experiences in these hospitals profoundly influenced both his psyche and poetic vision. He witnessed first-hand the human costs of war, describing the "sad, sad sights" of young men with severed limbs, the deaths, and the sick weakness that followed amputations. Whitman's purpose, as he wrote, was "just to help cheer and change a little the monotony of their sickness and confinement."
Among the many soldiers Whitman encountered, a few left a lasting impression on him. One was 18-year-old Lewis Brown from Elkton, Maryland, whom Whitman met at Armory Square Hospital after Brown had his leg amputated due to wounds sustained at the Battle of Rappahannock Station. Whitman sat with Brown through many long nights during his six-month recovery. Years later, Brown expressed his deepest gratitude to Whitman in a letter, acknowledging the profound impact the poet had on him and countless other soldiers.
Another soldier who captured Whitman's heart was 21-year-old Thomas Sawyer, a friend of Brown's and a soapmaker from Cambridgeport, Massachusetts. Sawyer, wounded in the Second Battle of Manassas, reciprocated Whitman's affection in a formal yet heartfelt letter, expressing his desire to maintain their connection beyond the war.
During his visits, Whitman nursed the soldiers by writing letters on their behalf to their loved ones, offering gifts, and providing comfort through conversation. He shared kind words, a smile, and small gifts to ease the hardship of their hospital stay. Whitman's interactions with the soldiers were not limited to just writing letters and giving gifts; he also sat with them, listened to their stories, and offered companionship.
In addition to his direct interactions with soldiers, Whitman also financed his visits by resuming his work as a journalist, documenting his experiences in articles such as "The Great Army of the Sick" and a book, "Memoranda During the War," published in 1875.
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Whitman's experiences inspired his writing
Walt Whitman's experiences in military hospitals inspired his writing in many ways. During the American Civil War, Whitman volunteered at army hospitals in Washington, D.C., tending to the wounded and writing letters on behalf of soldiers to their loved ones back home. He also recorded his experiences in his journal, later publishing them as the article "The Great Army of the Sick" and the book "Memoranda During the War" in 1875.
Whitman's time in the hospitals had a profound impact on his psyche and poetic vision. He was exposed to the horrors of war, witnessing amputated limbs and the human cost of battle. He described his experiences in Drum Taps: "I hear the tramp of armies, I hear the challenging sentry... Surgeons operating, attendants holding lights, the smell of ether, the odor of blood." The suffering he witnessed and the caregiving by nurses and doctors inspired some of his greatest writings.
Whitman's interactions with the soldiers themselves also influenced his work. He did not play favourites, giving each soldier he met a few minutes of his time, a kind word, a smile, and often a small gift. He formed deeper connections with some, such as Erastus Haskell, Lewis Brown, and Thomas Sawyer, whose stories and modest plans for the future moved him. In a letter to Whitman, Brown later recalled the poet's kindness: "There is many a soldier now that never thinks of you but with emotions of greatest gratitude... I know that the soldiers that you have been so kind to have a great big warm place in their heart for you."
Whitman's experiences in the hospitals also influenced his perspective on the role of caregivers. He admired the purely voluntary Christian Commission and briefly joined them, but had less respect for the paid United States Sanitary Commission. Union Colonel Richard Hinton, whom Whitman met at Armory Square Hospital, preferred the poet's easy-going style, writing, "When this old heathen came and gave me a pipe and tobacco, it was about the most joyous moment of my life. Walt Whitman’s funny stories, and his pipes and tobacco were worth more than all the preachers and tracts in Christendom."
Through his volunteer work, Whitman gained insight into the personal and national trauma of the Civil War, which he sought to make sense of in his poetry. His experiences inspired him to devote himself to bringing cheer and companionship to the thousands of suffering young soldiers he encountered. By the end of the war, he had made over 600 visits to hospitals and spoken to some 100,000 soldiers.
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He was part of a voluntary organisation
Walt Whitman's visits to military hospitals during the Civil War were indeed part of a voluntary organisation. In fact, there were 25 separate soldiers' aid groups in operation at the time, 16 of which were sponsored by individual states. Whitman briefly joined the Christian Commission, a purely voluntary organisation, which he admired. He did not, however, think much of the United States Sanitary Commission, whose members were paid for their work.
Whitman's voluntary work involved visiting wounded soldiers in hospitals in Washington, D.C. He first arrived in Washington in late December 1862, intending to stay for a few days in search of his brother, George, who had been listed among the wounded in the battle fought at Fredericksburg, Virginia. Whitman failed to find his brother after several days of searching, so he obtained a military pass to visit the Union Army camp at Falmouth, Virginia, opposite Fredericksburg. Whitman stayed with his brother for two weeks, recording camp life in his journal and visiting injured soldiers in the field hospitals.
After leaving Falmouth, Whitman helped convey the wounded to Washington's hospitals, where he would remain throughout the Civil War. He visited several hospitals, including Campbell Hospital, Carver, Cliffburne, Finley, Emory, and Campbell, which were built as Army barracks but converted into hospitals. He also visited purpose-built 'model' hospitals, including Armory Square, which received the most serious casualties from the Virginia battlefields. Whitman spent many hours sitting at the bedsides of soldiers, offering companionship, sharing stories, writing letters, and giving small gifts. He also wrote countless letters on behalf of soldiers, some of whom were illiterate or dying, to their loved ones.
Whitman's experiences tending to the wounded profoundly shaped his psyche and poetic vision. He was inspired by the suffering of soldiers and the care provided by nurses and doctors, and his writings from this period are considered among his greatest. His experiences inspired his article "The Great Army of the Sick" and his book "Memoranda During the War", published in 1875.
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Frequently asked questions
Walt Whitman first went to Washington in 1863 in search of his brother, George, who was listed as wounded in the Battle of Fredericksburg. Whitman's visits to military hospitals began when he sought out his brother in hospitals in Washington and later in Fredericksburg.
Whitman nursed soldiers by writing down their stories, writing letters for them, giving them small gifts, holding them, and comforting them through conversation. He also wrote countless letters on behalf of soldiers, some of whom were illiterate or dying, to their loved ones back home.
Whitman's experiences of witnessing suffering and caregiving deeply affected him. He described the "sad, sad sights" of "noble young men with legs and arms taken off" and the "sick weakness" after amputations. His experiences inspired his article "The Great Army of the Sick" and his book "Memoranda During the War," published in 1875.
Soldiers had a favorable impression of Whitman, with some recalling his kindness and expressing gratitude. Union Colonel Richard Hinton, who met Whitman while recovering from a wound, appreciated Whitman's easy-going style and lack of religious preaching. However, not everyone approved of Whitman's visits. Harriet Hawley, a member of the Sanitary Commission, complained about Whitman's presence and beliefs.
