Walt Whitman at Chatham Manor

National Archives

"The house is quite crowded, everything impromptu, no system, all bad enough, but I have no doubt the best that can be done; all the wounds pretty bad, some frightful, the men in their old clothes, unclean and bloody."

-Walt Whitman, describing Chatham Manor after the Battle of Fredericksburg

Walter Whitman (known as Walt) was born in 1819 in Huntington, New York to a family of nine children. He had to stop school at the age of eleven to help his family financially. While working for a newspaper edited by Samuel Clements (Mark Twain), he found his love for writing. He worked for various newspaper companies as a young man. Then in 1850, he began writing poetry. His first work, Leaves of Grass, was published in 1855, to heavy criticism.

When the Civil War began, Walt’s younger brother, George, joined the U.S. Army. George Whitman served as a lieutenant in the 51st New York Infantry. On December 16th, 1862, George’s name appeared amongst a list of soldiers that had been wounded during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Walt traveled to Fredericksburg in search of his brother.

After he found his brother recovering, Walt traveled to Chatham on December 21st. He described the scene: “Outdoors, at the foot of a tree, within ten yards of the front of the house, I noticed a heap of amputated feet, legs, arms, hands, etc.— about a load for a one-horse cart. Several dead bodies lie near, each covered with its brown woolen blanket. In the dooryard, toward the river, are fresh graves . . . The house is quite crowded . . . all the wounds pretty bad, some frightful . . . I had nothing to give at that night, but wrote a few letters to folks home . . . .”

After leaving Fredericksburg, Walt traveled to Washington, D.C. He volunteered in the city’s various hospitals as a nurse. Whitman continued writing after the war. In 1875, Whitman published his wartime journals, titled, Memoranda During the War. He wrote up until his death in 1892. Today, Walt Whitman is remembered as one of the greatest American poets.

Walt Whitman’s account of Chatham in December of 1862 provides a detailed description of the hospital operation and the level of carnage wrought by the Battle of Fredericksburg. The time that he spent in Fredericksburg impacted his decision to serve as a nurse for the remainder of the war.