Nick's interpretation:            

The poem “1861” was written in 1900 and was one of many poems that were comprised in the final edition of Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass.” The poem is about a specific year during the Civil War and how the brutal after effects of the war had on each man and the country as a whole. More specifically, I think it’s about Whitman's observation of the soldiers for the North and the overwhelming impact the troops had in reshaping the country during this period.

            In the first stanza Whitman starts out by describing one the soldiers for the North saying, “With well-gristled body and sun burnt face and hand-with a knife in the belt at your side.” Whiteman also, goes on to write about how the men’s demeanor about an up coming conflict stating, “As I heard you shouting loud-your sonorous voice ringing across the continent; your masculine voice, O year, as rising amid the great cities.” I think symbolizes the soldier’s impact on the general public and the bravery they exhibited in combat. Also, I think Whitman was setting the overall tone for the poem, letting it be known that these men who fought were dedicated and exhibited immense pride for the North.

Whitman goes on to explain the magnitude of the bravery and willingness of soldiers to fight in the next few stanzas, and how their actions affected the country. In the second to last stanza Whitman pays tribute to the troops saying, “Saw I gait and saw I your sinewy limbs, clothed in blue, bearing weapons, robust year; heard your determin’d voice launch’d forth again and again.” This I think really captures the theme of the poem and what Whitman was trying to get across, to pay homage to those who fought in the Civil War and to let be know to those who fought really had a large influence on history.