A Whitman Chronology

3. 1860–1863

CHAPTER THREE Quicksand years ... -Drum-Taps, 1865 "Quicksand years that whirl me I know not whither," Whitman writes in the opening line of an 1861 poem. The term "quicksand" aptly describes the turbulence of these years, which begin with the unexpected appearance of a publisher for Leaves ifGrass. The Boston firm of Thayer & Eldridge allows Whitman a free hand in the book's production, and the 1860 edition is, in his eyes, "first rate." Mutually delighted with their partnership, Whitman and his publishers immediately plan another book, but the 1861 bankruptcy of the Boston firm ends all such hopes. While Whitman is in Boston, Emerson urges the poet to eliminate some of the more sexual poems, but Whitman refuses. In Boston Whitman meets William Douglas O'Connor who, with his wife, Ellen (Nellie), enters the first rank of Whitman admirers. Another admirer appears as well, John Townsend Trowbridge, to whom, it is alleged, Whitman professes Emerson's defining influence. In April 1861, as he is coming from the opera, Whitman learns of the firing on Fort Sumter. Not long after, his brothers George and Andrew enlist. Whitman is caught up in the war fever that overtakes the North in the wake of its overwhelming defeat at the battle of First Bull Run and sounds his own alarum, "Beat! Beat! Drums!," his first poetic effort of the war. In 1862 George is wounded slightly at Fredericksburg, Virginia. Having gone to be with him, Walt remains in Washington in hopes of securing employment with a government agency. The only work available to him is as a copyist in the Army Paymaster's Office, but proximity to the army hospitals allows Whitman to undertake an important role as hospital visitor, bringing solace and cheer to the wounded and dying. Throughout 1863 he maintains a steady correspondence with family members in Brooklyn, with friends there and in New York, and with some recovered soldiers who have returned to their regiments. In his letters he tells of seeing President Lincoln almost daily, as well as captured Southern troops being marched up Pennsylvania Avenue and of his July Fourth celebration with the wounded. Whitman plans a book of war memoranda to be based on his experiences and on those related to him by soldiers. At home, his family falls into considerable disarray, principally because Andrew, having completed his three-month enlistment, is afflicted with a serious throat ailment. At Jeff's urging, Walt obtains a leave of absence from his work and returns to Brooklyn late in 1863; the day after he arrives back in Washington Andrew dies. While his brother is still lying dead in the house, another brother, the emotionally troubled Jesse, exhibits threatening behavior toward family members, and Jeff solicits Walt's help in effecting his institutionalization . 1860 7 JANUARY. "All About a Mocking-Bird" appears in the Saturday Press; obviously written by Whitman, it responds to the Cincinnati Daily Commercial's ridicule of "A Child's Reminiscence." Whitman defends the poem and takes the opportunity to announce that "there will also soon crop out the true 'Leaves of Grass,' the fuller-grown work of which the former two issues were the inchoates" (Consolo, 25). 14 JANUARY. "You and Me and To-Day" (later "With Antecedents ") appears in the Saturday Press. Henry Clapp, owner of the Saturday Press, allows Walt access to the pages of his newspaper in order to keep the poet's name before the public. He is also helpful in marketing the 1860 edition of Leaves. In 1888 Whitman tells Horace Traubel that Clapp, through his newspaper, was a "much needed ally" in 1860 "when almost the whole press of America when it mentioned me at all treated me with derision or worse" (see wwc, 1:236). In the pages of the Saturday Press, a number of women defend Whitman and the 1860 edition of Leaves (Ceniza, 1l0-134). JANUARY. Whitman becomes more aggressive in seeking publication of his poems. He offers Harper's Magazine a new poem, "A Chant of National Feuillage," asking payment of $40, offers "Thoughts" to the New York Sunday Courier for $10, and writes to James Russell Lowell, editor of the Boston Courier, regarding "Bardic Symbols," which has already been accepted. In all cases he reserves the right to republish the poems in a future collection (CORR,I:46-48). 10 FEBRUARY. The Boston publishers William Thayer and Charles Eldridge write to Whitman...