by Walt Whitman

Pictures of the Civil War
The National Archives and Records Administration has preserved photographs from the Civil War, "the first large and prolonged conflict recorded by photography." In the Web Links Activity Log describe how seeing these photographs enhances your reading of Whitman's war poems.

Music of the Civil War
Scroll down to the Fife and Drum section to hear songs played by soldier musicians during the Civil War. Why do you suppose soldiers were enlisted to perform music in this way? Write a paragraph responding to these songs, imagining how they might sound to a frightened, tired, or injured soldier.