Two Brothers, One War: The Whitman Legacy in Battle and Verse
NBHS Historian/Claudia Houston
Celebrated poet Walt Whitman is often praised for his poetic portrayal of the American Civil War. His younger brother, George Washington Whitman, endured the war as a soldier, prisoner, and survivor. George’s experiences in the war were different from the literary reflections of his famous sibling. Still, the brothers maintained a strong family connection despite and throughout the horrors of war.
After the fall of Fort Sumter in 1861, George enlisted in New York, a local militia unit, before transitioning to the 51st New York Volunteers. After the first Battle of Bull Run, he realized that the war was going to last longer than initially anticipated. He saw action in many pivotal battles, including the Burnside Expedition at Roanoke Island and New Bern. In a letter to his sister, George recounted his harrowing experience at New Bern on March 14, 1862: “We marched up under a terrible fire, formed line of battle, and at it we went. The enemy were posted in an almost impregnable position...the rebels ran and the day was ours.” (Walt Whitman archive) George Whitman would serve in some of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Petersburg. He was wounded several times, and his bravery earned him several promotions, eventually resulting in the rank of brevet lieutenant colonel.
While George was fighting in the trenches, Walt stayed home in New York. However, when Walt saw the name of his brother on the list of men of the 51st NY who were wounded at Fredericksburg, he rushed to Washington, D.C., to find and care for him. George’s injuries weren’t severe, and he continued to serve in his unit. However, Walt was significantly impacted by the soldiers he encountered. He moved to Washington, DC and spent countless hours in hospitals, visiting soldiers, writing letters for the wounded, and raising funds for provisions. His experiences led to the creation of Drum-Taps and Specimen Days, two volumes of poems about the war experience. However, George didn’t share Walt’s enthusiasm for poetry. In fact, after leafing through the first edition of Leaves of Grass, he famously remarked, “I saw the book—didn’t read it all—didn’t think it worth reading.” (Walt-Whitman archive)
By 1864, George was captured along with most of his regiment at Poplar Grove Church in Virginia and imprisoned in the notorious Libby Prison in Richmond. Conditions were brutal, and he was eventually transferred to the military hospital at Danville. During this time, George’s personal effects, which included a diary he had kept during the first two years of the war, were taken and sent home to his family. Walt read these entries and wrote of George’s war diary: “In such a record as this lies folded a perfect poem of the war.” (historynet.com)
After the war, George returned home and found work inspecting pipes in Brooklyn and Camden, NJ. He married and later welcomed his ailing mother and brother Edward into his home. In 1873, after Walt suffered a debilitating stroke, he moved in with George to recover. Tension arose between the brothers, and George moved into a separate home with his wife. This physical separation created an emotional rift that never healed. Walt died in 1892, and George passed away in 1901. They are both buried in the Whitman family tomb at Harleigh Cemetery in Camden, New Jersey.
Today, George Washington Whitman’s legacy as a soldier and his contributions to his family’s history live on, though often overshadowed by his brother's literary fame. However, his diary, written in the heat of battle and while imprisoned, stands as a testament to his resilience—a perfect “poem” of the war, as Walt so aptly put it.