The Home Front: 1861 to 1865Walt and the Other Whitmans |
Isn’t Walt Whitman the most famous member of the family? |
Yes. A journalist, poet, and wanderer—in the best sense of the word—Walt Whitman (1819–1892) self-published Leaves of Grass in 1855. It received some applause at the time, but has garnered much more since then. Whitman is considered one of the most original of all American poets. Whitman’s younger brother, George, enlisted in the New York Volunteers and eventually rose to the rank of colonel. The Whitman family crisis, however, took place when George was wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862.

Walt Whitman was a famous poet best known for his collection Leaves of Grass. He also notably wrote about the death of Lincoln in his poem “Oh Captain! My Captain!”