Walt Whitman's letter letter to Thomas Sawyer

Walt Whitman (1819–1892)
Letter to Civil War soldier Thomas Sawyer (c. 1843–?)
April 21, 1863

Walt Whitman's letter to Thomas Sawyer (1863)

American poet Walt Whitman had just published the third edition of Leaves of Grass when the Civil War broke out. He quickly volunteered as a nurse and dedicated his time to visiting soldiers in hospitals in Washington, D.C. This is the earliest extant letter from Walt Whitman to a Union soldier he was particularly fond of: Thomas Sawyer.

Transcription: Read the full letter

: Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature

: Walt Whitman collection of papers

: See this item on Digital Collections

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