Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist who is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse. He is best known for his controversial collection of poems, Leaves of Grass. His other popular works include the novel Franklin Evans, the poetry collection Drum Taps, the political work Democratic Vistas, and so on. The poem was first published in the pamphlet 'Sequel to Drum-taps', that contained eighteen poems on the American Civil War.