Reviews for Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and His Brothers in the Civil War

The average rating for Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and His Brothers in the Civil War based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-10-03 00:00:00 Richard Kemp For the most part, I enjoyed the book. The author did a great job outlining Walt Whitman's care of the wounded soldiers during and after the Civil War, and gave us brief glimpses into the lives of his brothers. I was a bit put off by the amount of time the author spent on shining a light on Mr. Whitman's sexuality. I'm sure that he thought it played a role in his nursing of the soldiers, but I think Walt was simply a caring person. Life and expressions of affection were given much differently in the mid-19th century than they are today, and I feel that much of Walt's correspondence has been mis-interpreted. I believe he was, indeed, gay, but not everything he wrote about was colored by his sexuality; and not every expression of love and affection was proof of his lifestyle. He was a beautiful, caring man, and that should be enough.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-01-17 00:00:00 Christoph Poehl Great book for learning about social history in New York in the decades just before the Civil War and in Washington, DC during the war when Whitman served as a volunteer nurse then. Whitman's father, a carpenter, and then Walt himself, and then a younger brother, all acted as "developers," building a house, living in it for a short while, then selling it. Just like today. So American. Roper uses the Civil War period to suggest some insights into the work of America's first great poet (and still the greatest), especially its limitations after that period. It made me want to read and study these poems, and learn more about his later life.