Walt Whitman in Washington, D.C.: The Civil War and America's Great Poet

by Garrett Peck

Walt Whitman was already famous for Leaves of Grass when he journeyed to the nation's capital at the height of the Civil War to find his brother George, a Union officer wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Whitman eventually served as a volunteer "hospital missionary," making more than six hundred hospital visits and serving over eighty thousand sick and wounded soldiers in the next three years. With the 1865 publication of Drum-Taps, Whitman became poet laureate of the Civil War, aligning his legacy with that of Abraham Lincoln. He remained in Washington until 1873 as a federal clerk, engaging in a dazzling literary circle and fostering his longest romantic relationship, with Peter Doyle. Author Garrett Peck details the definitive account of Walt Whitman's decade in the nation's capital.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Poetry, Biography

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 2015

Reviews

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Walt Whitman in Washington, D.C." is a nonfiction history of all of the time that the poet Walt Whitman spent in Washington, D.C. I was interested in reading this book because of the larger-than-life personality of Whitman and also the local connection. Living in this area, I love reading some of the lesser known stories of things that have happened in this area. This is a well put together history that will be enjoyed by my fellow history lovers.

I didn't realize how much time Walt Whitman had spent in the city. Many of his years spent here were spent caring for soldiers during the Civil War. He was truly passionate about the need to take care of soldiers as they were fighting the war. The Civil War greatly affected Washington, D.C. as it was the site for field hospitals and many activities to cater to soldiers. I really thought the author did a good job of adding a lot of historical detail in order to pull readers in.

Not much has been written about Whitman and Washington, D.C. so this book was very eye-opening to me. It's obvious how much research the author must've done in order to write this book. I would really like to read more by this author in the future! Overall, this was a great look at a sliver of history.

[James Musial · Rating 4 out of 5]

bring back calling Washington “the city of magnificent distances”

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly enthralling book that I devoured in a few days. Perhaps because I am a DC native, I found stories, illustrations, and photographs of the city during that time along with details of the historical role DC played in the Civil War especially fascinating. And Walt Whitman! I've always found the inscription of Walt Whitman's words on the north entrance to the Dupont Metro station so soulful, so deeply moving:

Thus in silence, in dreams' projections,
Returning, resuming, I thread my way through the hospitals;
The hurt and wounded I pacify with soothing hand,
I sit by the restless all the dark night—some are so young;
Some suffer so much—I recall the experience sweet and sad...

The author beautifully describes Whitman's unofficial, spontaneous kindness and generosity to thousands of soldiers suffering unbearable pain and death and the dedication of years of his life to the cause of easing their suffering, passing down the length of hospital wards, offering a kind word here, a listening ear there, a gentle smile, and thoughtful necessities such as a cool drink in the heat or stationery with stamped envelopes, writing the letters himself as needed. A level of kindness so beautiful and so rare.

It is illuminating and moving to understand some of his difficulties as a gay man before there was even language for homosexuality, though he evidently lived his life as honestly and openly as possible; and so disappointing to learn that despite his firm opposition to slavery, and love of his mother and other female friends, he could not quite bring himself to support voting for black people and for women...

Even though I am NOT a Civil War buff, I found this an excellent read. You might, too. :)

[Paul Stankus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to hear Walt Whitman author and historian Garrett Peck at the 2015 Gaithersburg Book Festival. While much has been written about Walt Whitman over the years, very little has been written about his years in Washington, DC where he stayed for nearly a decade. He first arrived in Washington after his brother George was wounded as a Union Soldier. While tending to his brother's care, he became a nurse volunteer-- or as Peck describes it, a "One Man USO"-- writing letters to soldier's family, listening to their stories as they convalesced in one of two dozen temporary hospitals in the capital.

It is here he met the love of his life, who was present at Ford's Theater the night of the Lincoln Assassination, and whose first-hand retelling of the details added depth to two of Whitman's most famous poems about Lincoln-- "Oh Captain, My Captain" and "When Lilacs Last In the Dooryard Bloom'd." Peck's detailed research brings to life of quintessential American poet Walt Whitman.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of us are aware that Walt Whitman was in Washington during the Civil War and that he tended to the wounded at the area's military hospitals. And that's the extent of our knowledge. Garrett Peck has now fleshed out the fascinating story of Walt Whitman in Washington with his usual deft touch, giving us the opportunity to appreciate the great poet as both an entertaining eccentric as well as simply a kind and gentle soul. All the drama of the wartime city is here--from the heartache of the thousands of sick and wounded streaming in to the city's crowded hospitals through to the shocking assassination of the President. Here is Whitman with all his genius and human foibles, the man who writes towering poetry one day and on another kicks himself for falling in love with a young streetcar conductor. If you're a poetry lover, a local history lover, or such enjoy lesser known true stories about famous people, Garrett's latest engagingly written book is definitely for you.

[Ariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well-written volume that focussed on Walt Whitman's time spent in Washington City during the Civil War was informative while being accessible and not encumbered by the extensive academic research that went into it. Garrett Peck provided an in-depth portrait of the poet, including providing details about Whitman's relationship with Peter Doyle without extrapolation beyond what the research could support.

Peck provided copious reproductions of photographs from the period and each was reproduced with unexpected fidelity to the originals, even though all of them were in black and white. Given that Peck is also a native of this area and indeed I have benefited by seeing him lecture and attended one of his walking tours of Alexandria, VA, I am impressed by his knowledge of the subjects and the history.

This slender, but detailed volume is well worth reading if one wishes to understand Whitman in context to the period.

[Peter Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Walt Whitman in Washington, D.C.: the Civil War and America’s great poet,” by Garrett Peck (The History Press, 2015). My middle name may have come from my father’s love for Walt Whitman, and I may live not far from where Whitman was born, and have read his poetry, etc.. But that does not mean I knew all that much about him. This carefully and deeply researched book by a scholar of the nation’s capital has filled in blanks I didn’t know existed. In essence: The Good Gray Poet became that during his 10 years in Washington D. C. Literally as well as figuratively: the sobriquet was the title of a 40-page screed written in 1865 by his friend and champion William Douglas O’Connor to protest his firing from the US Patent Office by Secretary of the Interior James Harlan. Whitman was a clerk in the office. Harlan, a Methodist minister, happened upon a copy of “Leaves of Grass” in Whitman’s desk and was scandalized by what he read. O’Connor’s furious response itself caused a scandal (Whitman was already a well-known journalist and poet). He was hired the next day to work in the Attorney General’s office, and the incident cast him as a living saint and thrust him into the pantheon of great poets of history. But that all is getting ahead of myself. Whitman went to DC to find and look after his brother George, who had been wounded during the battle of Fredericksburg at the end of 1862. By then Walt had already self-published the first edition of “Leaves of Grass,” and was known a bit in New York for his journalism. But in DC he found his métier: he became, unofficially and informally, a sort of angel of the military hospitals that filled the city with casualties flooding in from the battlefields. A big, graying, informal character with a gentle manner would go from bed to bed to bed, greeting everyone, staying with them as they moaned, wept, and often died. He would bring food, candy, notebooks, tobacco, stationery, paper, pens, ink, whatever he could to offer comfort and companionship to the soldiers. Most of them were boys barely if even out of their teens, far from family and friends, frightened, in pain, lonely, grateful for any sign of compassion. Whitman had little money (he lived in rooming houses and garrets), but he was patient, kind, generous, and open to whomever he was speaking with. He also wrote copiously, more poetry and editions of “Leaves of Grass,” newspaper articles and what Peck anachronistically calls “op-eds” about what he saw and experienced. He described the state of the hospitals, the condition of the city---which was largely empty lots and unpaved roads with here and there massive government buildings. The Capitol Dome and the Washington Monument were still under construction. The city was a mess. But Whitman—whose open-hearted poetry seems to have been an accurate reflection of who he was---seemed to love it all. Although he portrayed himself as one of the roughs, a burly, uneducated man of the bars, warehouses and factories, he was a deeply sophisticated person who could fit as well with the top-hatted swells and gentry. And, Peck documents in great detail, he was gay as in attracted to his own sex, particularly handsome young men. His great love was the Irish immigrant Peter Doyle, 20 years or so younger than he. They met when Whitman rode on the horse-car where Doyle was the conductor, and from then on spent hours together. Peck quotes a journal entry that appears to describe sexual activity between Whitman and two other men. Whitman’s poetry was always sensual and often very erotic (the “Calamus” poems were stimulated by his relationship with the stage driver Fred Vaughan). Beyond that, Whitman was also a relentless self-promoter who was determined to become America’s great poet. He portrayed himself as indolent and lazy, though in fact he worked very hard. Not infrequently he wrote anonymous reviews praising his own books. He was always looking for attention and publicity. He thought he was worth it. Turns out, of course, he was. Peck documents whatever contact Whitman may have had (but probably didn’t) with Lincoln, and how his estimation of the president changed from diffidence to something akin to worship. He was very much a man of his times: he accepted the fundamental assumptions about social and gender roles. There were “manly” men (he was certainly one); blacks were essentially inferior, though he saw and acknowledged their service on the battlefield; women had their place in the home. So he was a mid-19th century American male, no radical other than in the poetry he wrote.

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[Vic Marriott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garrett Peck has written a remarkable character study of Whitman. He gets to the mind of the man. Peck’s Whitman is very human with his compassion and love of men closer to the surface than most people are capable of. Yet he is flawed and limited as we all are.

By writing very specifically and in detail about the ten years in which Whitman lived in Washington he illuminates the entirety of the poet in his most fertile artistic period and by so doing gives us a clear picture of our greatest poet and the age in which he lived.

[Jennifer Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lively, well-researched account of Walt Whitman's life and experiences in Washington, D.C. during and after the Civil War, this book is also a portrait of the capitol city at a crucial juncture in its and the nation's history. As a DC resident, I feel like I know my city better now having read this book. Peck's included some great photos/illustrations from the Library of Congress collections and elsewhere.

[Kristi Mangan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 A well-written and carefully researched look at Whitman's life in Washington, D.C. during and shortly after the Civil War. I was fascinated by the details of Whitman's life in the Capitol - especially his dedication to comforting thousands of wounded soldiers and his relationship with Peter Doyle - but also by the descriptions of the state of the city during that time. The photographs of the city show just what a swampland it was. A lecture by the author, a D.C. historian and tour guide, was as entertaining as the book. I'm looking forward to reading his other works.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading stories about DC and its history, so when I spotted this title I knew that it would be something that would interest me. I'm not very familiar with the life of Walt Whitman, so everything I read between the pages was new information. There was so much packed into this small book, historical photos, fascinating stories and a few stanzas of Whitman poetry.
Really enjoyed it.