April 12, 1861. Fort Sumtner.

"How Solemn As One by One" (1865) by Walt Whitman

HOW solemn as one by one,

As the ranks returning worn and sweaty,

as the men file by where stand,

As the faces the masks appear, as I glance at the faces

studying the masks, (As I glance upward out of this page studying you,

dear friend, whoever you are,)

How solemn the thought of my whispering soul

to each in the ranks, and to you,

I see behind each mask that wonder a kindred soul,

O the bullet could never kill what you really are, dear friend,

Nor the bayonet stab what you really are;

The soul! yourself I see, great as any, good as the best,

Waiting secure and content, which the bullet could never kill,

Nor the bayonet stab, O friend.

- from Walt Whitman's "Drumtaps"

Watch - and listen, lest we forget.