Drum-Taps

by Walt Whitman

"Drum-Taps" by Walt Whitman is a poetry collection published in May 1865. Born from Whitman's experiences tending wounded soldiers during the American Civil War, these poems capture both patriotic fervor and the brutal realities of battle. Written "by fits and starts, on the field, in the hospitals," the collection reflects the poet's profound transformation through years of caring for casualties. A sequel followed months later, including the famous Lincoln elegy "O Captain! My Captain!"