National Archives Discovery of Walt Whitman Writings

In keeping with April being National Poetry Month, the National Archives recently announced the identification of nearly 3,000 writings produced by Walt Whitman while he worked as a federal government employee from 1863-1873. During that decade, Whitman worked in the Army Paymaster's office, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Attorney General's office. According to the National Archives, the identification of these papers "sheds light on the legendary poet's post-war thinking, as well as Whitman's published reflections on the state of the nation that soon followed." You can read more about this discovery in the National Archives press release.