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A semi-True Bit: Walt Whitman’s “The Wound Dresser”

This isn’t exactly a True Bit, because I didn’t read Walt Whitman’s poem “The Wound Dresser” about his work as a nurse in the Civil War hospitals in Washington DC until after I’d already written the scene where Jennie takes Rosetta to the Armory Square Hospital. (And I guess, technically, a poem isn’t “true”?) When I did finally read it, I was shocked at the ways in which the novel and the poem overlapped, especially starting in the middle of the second stanza.

The Wound-Dresser
BY WALT WHITMAN
1

An old man bending I come among new faces,
Years looking backward resuming in answer to children,
Come tell us old man, as from young men and maidens that love me,
(Arous’d and angry, I’d thought to beat the alarum, and urge relentless war,
But soon my fingers fail’d me, my face droop’d and I resign’d myself,
To sit by the wounded and soothe them, or silently watch the dead;)
Years hence of these scenes, of these furious passions, these chances,
Of unsurpass’d heroes, (was one side so brave? the other was equally brave;)
Now be witness again, paint the mightiest armies of earth,
Of those armies so rapid so wondrous what saw you to tell us?
What stays with you latest and deepest? of curious panics,
Of hard-fought engagements or sieges tremendous what deepest remains?

2

O maidens and young men I love and that love me,
What you ask of my days those the strangest and sudden your talking recalls,
Soldier alert I arrive after a long march cover’d with sweat and dust,
In the nick of time I come, plunge in the fight, loudly shout in the rush of successful charge,
Enter the captur’d works—yet lo, like a swift running river they fade,
Pass and are gone they fade—I dwell not on soldiers’ perils or soldiers’ joys,
(Both I remember well—many of the hardships, few the joys, yet I was content.)

But in silence, in dreams’ projections,
While the world of gain and appearance and mirth goes on,
So soon what is over forgotten, and waves wash the imprints off the sand,
With hinged knees returning I enter the doors, (while for you up there,
Whoever you are, follow without noise and be of strong heart.)

Bearing the bandages, water and sponge,
Straight and swift to my wounded I go,
Where they lie on the ground after the battle brought in,
Where their priceless blood reddens the grass, the ground,
Or to the rows of the hospital tent, or under the roof’d hospital,
To the long rows of cots up and down each side I return,
To each and all one after another I draw near, not one do I miss,
An attendant follows holding a tray, he carries a refuse pail,
Soon to be fill’d with clotted rags and blood, emptied, and fill’d again.

I onward go, I stop,
With hinged knees and steady hand to dress wounds,
I am firm with each, the pangs are sharp yet unavoidable,
One turns to me his appealing eyes—poor boy! I never knew you,
Yet I think I could not refuse this moment to die for you, if that would save you.

3

On, on I go, (open doors of time! open hospital doors!)
The crush’d head I dress, (poor crazed hand tear not the bandage away,)
The neck of the cavalry-man with the bullet through and through I examine,
Hard the breathing rattles, quite glazed already the eye, yet life struggles hard,
(Come sweet death! be persuaded O beautiful death!
In mercy come quickly.)

From the stump of the arm, the amputated hand,
I undo the clotted lint, remove the slough, wash off the matter and blood,
Back on his pillow the soldier bends with curv’d neck and side falling head,
His eyes are closed, his face is pale, he dares not look on the bloody stump,
And has not yet look’d on it.

I dress a wound in the side, deep, deep,
But a day or two more, for see the frame all wasted and sinking,
And the yellow-blue countenance see.

I dress the perforated shoulder, the foot with the bullet-wound,
Cleanse the one with a gnawing and putrid gangrene, so sickening, so offensive,
While the attendant stands behind aside me holding the tray and pail.

I am faithful, I do not give out,
The fractur’d thigh, the knee, the wound in the abdomen,
These and more I dress with impassive hand, (yet deep in my breast a fire, a burning flame.)

4

Thus in silence in dreams’ projections,
Returning, resuming, I thread my way through the hospitals,
The hurt and wounded I pacify with soothing hand,
I sit by the restless all the dark night, some are so young,
Some suffer so much, I recall the experience sweet and sad,
(Many a soldier’s loving arms about this neck have cross’d and rested,
Many a soldier’s kiss dwells on these bearded lips.)

True Bits: Rebel spies

Several events from the real Rosetta’s letters really intrigued me when I first read about them. One of the most fascinating was her brief account of the female soldier and rebel spies she guarded while on prison duty:

“Over to Carroll Prison they have got three women that is confined to their Rooms. One of them was a Major in the union army and she went into battle with her men. When the Rebels bullets was acoming like a hail storm, she rode her horse and gave orders to the men. Now She is in Prison for not doing aCcordingly to the regulation of war. The other two is rebel Spies and they have Catch them and Put them in Prison. They are Smart looking women and [have] good education.”

Who were those women? Did they realize they were being guarded by a woman? How did Rosetta feel guarding a soldier who was imprisoned for doing exactly what she was doing? How did Rosetta get these details about the female Major? This little paragraph is all we know! I wish Rosetta had said more, but because she didn’t, I was free to imagine the scene where the character Rosetta guards and meets Mrs. Greenhow, also known as Rebel Rose.

Rosetta-isms/True Bits: that spotted calf

When I wrote the first draft of I Shall Be Near To You, it had been ten years since I’d read the real Rosetta’s letters. I didn’t return to the actual letters until I had completed the draft because I was afraid that if I re-read the letters I would lose the voice I heard in my head, even though my intention was to make the character Rosetta’s voice as true to the feisty and tender voice that shone through in the real Rosetta’s letters. I was actually a bit surprised when I reread the letters to find how many phrases (what I like to call Rosetta-isms) or ideas made their way from the original letters into the novel, though not always in exactly the same context. Here’s an example:

Originals, from Rosetta Wakeman’s letters:
“Alexandria
Nov. 24, 1862
…If you want to save anything to remember me by, keep that spotted calf and if i ever return I want you to let me have her again.”

and
“June the 19, A.D. 1863
Father I want you to Write, too, and let me know all about your Farming and how long do you intend to keep Fony?”

From the novel (one of Rosetta’s letters home): I want to know how that Spotted Calf does and if the Fields are planted and what in (Wheat or Potatoes or maybe Corn) and have you had Help to do it?

True Bits: The Dog

(Spoiler alert! You might not want to keep reading if you haven’t finished the book–each “true bit” gives the background on something real that inspired part of the novel: some big, some small)

This True Bit is a tiny one…

When Rosetta and the boys are hiding in cemetery at Rappahannock Station, Rosetta hears a dog barking down with the Pennsylvania soldiers. It was not rare for dogs to accompany soldiers into the Civil War, and here were at least two Pennsylvania regiments known to have dogs who traveled with them. If you want to get teary, here’s a video about one them named Sallie.

Photos of the dogs are uncommon, but here are 12 images, including the other Pennsylvania dog, Jack.

True Bits: The Crushed Violet

(Spoiler alert! You might not want to keep reading if you haven’t finished the book–each “true bit” gives the background on something real that inspired part of the novel: some big, some small)

This True Bit is a tiny one…

There’s a moment at Bull Run when the soldiers are running toward the embankment and their first real battle and Rosetta sees Jeremiah step on a violet and crush it underfoot.

That came from a young soldier’s remembrance of marching through a field full of wildflowers, and several of the soldiers picking some and sticking them in their hats. It struck me as such an innocent gesture– a gesture of sweetness in the midst of war. I wanted to use that idea of soldiers coming across something beautiful and natural and delicate right at the moment they were entering battle. And I wanted that crushed violet to be trying to raise itself back up after having been stepped on because that seemed to me the perfect metaphor for what the soldiers had to do after experiencing battle, especially for the first time.

True Bits: Hiram’s Ring

(Spoiler alert! You might not want to keep reading if you haven’t finished the book–each “true bit” gives the background on something real that inspired part of the novel: some big, some small)

This first True Bit is a smaller one…

So, you know that ring Hiram carves?

The one made out of a vertebrae he found on the battlefield?

Yeah, that’s something I just couldn’t make it up. It’s a little tidbit that came out of a soldier’s letter that I read in the collection The Soldier’s Pen: Firsthand Impressions of the Civil War. I thought it was the kind of detail that would really show the effects of battle on a soldier, how the horror of war would change a person’s sense of morality.

Here’s the original, in a letter written by Confederate soldier J.M. Tate:

“Dear Sister Mary,
…I rote to darcus last week and inclosed a bone ring in the letter and I will inclose one in this for Ma made by my own hands with an old knife. those sets are pure silver. the bone was found on the Battle field of Seven Pines and all so Darcases was of the same. I have one for you that was found on Mine Town that I will forward in my next letter. Tell the old lady to except this ring in remembrance of her only son and when his sweet harts come to see hir, she can show what hir son did in the army of Northern Virginia.”

Writing Tips that Work for Me

The most important tip I have is do what works for you. That said, I have learned what works for me by reading about what works for other authors. So, in case my method might serve as an inspiration, here goes!

1. Have a regular writing schedule. I think pretty much every writer says this, but it’s because it really helps! When I was drafting I Shall Be Near To You, I shot for writing 5 days a week–like a job. Often I wrote more than that. Having a set schedule helps the ideas start and keep flowing. It’s much easier to get back into a scene I was working on the day before than one I haven’t touched for a week (or more).

2. Have a writing routine. I think of this as a gentle warm-up– a way to ease into the work and get ready to write. My routine when I was drafting my “practice” novel (and the beginning of I Shall Be Near To You), was to walk my dog and then immediately write as soon as we got home. Invariably inspiration would hit at about the time we turned for home. Now my routine is different–usually I make a cup of tea and then as I sit down to work, I turn on the playlist for the project I’m working on. I love working to music that helps set the mood and tone for the project.

3. Set a word count goal for each session I only do this when I’m writing my first draft. My goal is 1000 words. Though, at the beginning of a project, I often set my goal lower, say at 500 words. The idea is to make it something that feels manageable and then, once that gets too easy, increase it. Usually I find that once I get going, I hit my stride and it’s pretty easy to routinely hit 1000 words (and often more). This tip came from Anne Lamott.

4. Research just enough to get going. I start by researching my characters. Since they are always inspired by real people, finding out more about those real women–what their lives were like, what their childhoods were like–almost always gives me ideas for the events of the novel. Then, as I write, I discover other things I need to know, so I’m sort of constantly writing and researching; the two feed each other.

5. Follow the inspiration. If I have a scene that’s begging to be written, I write it! I take inspiration any time I can find it, even though it means I often write out of order (and curse myself for it later). I find it incredibly freeing (and fun) to write a scene I’m feeling driven to set down. Then, on days when nothing is begging to be written, I work on connecting the scenes I already have. It was an interview with Diana Gabaldon that first gave me the idea that it was OK not to write chronologically.

6. Quit when you know what’s next. I try to stop for the day when I’ve got two things: 1000 words AND a good idea for what comes next. That way I can sleep on the “what’s next” and my subconscious can work on it (and be ready to go) the next day. I can’t take credit for this idea–it came from Hemingway.

So there you have it! I hope something on this list will work for you too.

Women Who Thought Different

After I first learned of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman and the other women who fought in the Civil War, back in 1998, I started keeping a list of notable women who did important things. Many of the women who ended up on my list were women I had never heard of, while others were quite well-known (to me, at least). I surveyed other women in my life and asked them for the names of women who thought different, and added them to the list. Here it is, with admittedly somewhat arbitrary categories–so many of these women really belong in multiple categories).
I’m curious–how many of these women do you know? And who are some women you’d add?

Women Who Thought Different

Authors
Aphra Behn
Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz
Ellen Glasgow
Kate Chopin
Virginia Wolfe
Toni Morrison
Maya Angelou
Adrienne Rich (poet)
Sandra Cisneros
Mary Wollenstonecraft
Karolina Pavlova
Harper Lee

Artists
Georgia O’Keefe
Judy Chicago

Musicians
Mahalia Jackson
Joan Baez
Marian Anderson
Yoko Ono
Madonna
Ella Fitzgerald
Bessie Smith

Journalists
Jane Grey Swisshelm
Margaret Fuller
Nellie Bly
Connie Chung
Katie Couric
Diane Sawyer
Pearl Stewart (1st African American to edit major national daily newspaper, the Oakland Tribune)

Politicians
Margaret Thacher
Golda Meir
Joan d’Arc
Queen Elizabeth 1
Madeleine Albright
Mary Queen of Scots
Cleopatra
Barbara Boxer
Geraldine Farraro
Eleanor Roosevelt
Hillary Clinton
Condoleeza Rice

Lawyers/Judges
Sandra Day O’Connor
Myra Bradwell (1st U.S. lawyer)
Clara Foltz (1st CA lawyer)

Miscellaneous
Sally Ride
Dr. Joyce Brothers
Annie Oakley
Madam C.J. Walker (1st African American millionaire)
Joan Brumberg (social historian)
Emma Goldman (anarchist)

Activists
Mother Teresa
Dr. Cicely Saunders (founded modern hospice movement)
Elizabeth Packard (lobbied for rights of the insane)
Rosa Parks
Clara Barton
Florence Nightengale

Athletes
Florence Joyner (Flo Jo)
Billie Jean King (tennis player)
Elizabeth Robinson (100 m. gold medalist, 1928 Olympics)
Wilma Rudolph (first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics)

Film/Actresses/TV Personalities
Oprah Winfrey
Marilyn Monroe
Jane Fonda
Shirley MacLaine
Jane Campion

Fashion Icons
Twiggy
Coco Chanel
Princess Diana
Jacqueline Onassis
Mary Kay
Elizabeth Arden

Suffragettes/Women’s Rights Activists
Lucretia Mott
Susan B. Anthony
Gloria Steinem
Betty Friedan
Mary Ware Bennett (advocated birth control for all women)
Maria W. Stewart (1st U.S. woman to give a speech to a mixed crowd)
Sarah and Angelina Grimke (abolitionists)
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Margaret Sanger (birth control advocate)
Charlotte Perkins Gillman
Helen Gurley Brown (author)

Soldiers/Military
Deborah Samson (Revolutionary War soldier)
Sybil Luddington (known as the “female Paul Revere”)
Civil War Spies:
Belle Boyd
Rose O’Neal Greenhow
Sarah Slater
Mrs. E.H. Baker
Pauline Cushman
Emma Edmonds
Elizabeth Van Lew
Mary Bowser
Civil War Soldiers:
Sarah Rosetta Wakeman
Jennie Hodgers
Sarah Emma Edmonds
Martha Lindley
Mary Brown
Elizabeth Finnern
Elizabeth Niles
Charlotte Hope

Swearing

When I wrote the first draft of I Shall Be Near To You, there was almost no swearing in the book at all. But over the course of the many rounds of revision, one of my editors pointed out that the men seemed awfully “tame” for soldiers.

It became clear to me that one of the major adjustments a woman disguising as a man might have to make was getting used to the way a group of men might talk to each other when they thought there were no ladies present. It was also clear from my research about the women that many of them adopted “male” mannerisms (chewing tobacco, drinking, playing cards, spitting, and swearing) in attempt to create a more convincing disguise. In fact, the real Rosetta wrote home on two separate occasions about what we might consider “vices”– once she reveals to her mother that “I use all the tobacco I want. I think it will keep off from catching diseases.” Later she mentions that “there is a good many temptations in the army. I got led away into this world So bad that I sinned a good deal. But I now believe that God Spirit has been aworking with me and ’til that I was aComing back to Him again and I hope and pray that I shall never be led away like it again.” I wanted to show what some of these tensions might be as I wrote about the fictional Rosetta.

I also consulted the book The Story the Soldiers Wouldn’t Tell: Sex in the Civil War. There I learned about the pornagraphic postcards (carte de visites) that soldiers often received in their mail–the inspiration for the one Edward’s brother sends in the novel. That same book also includes stories soldiers wrote in their letters (to friends, usually) about visiting brothels. It was from these accounts that I gleaned some of the popular (and vulgar) phrases used to describe various sexual activities, and from which all of the vulgarities in the book were inspired. I basically compiled a list of all the phrases which would make your ears burn and then, like the Shakespearean insult game, I mixed and matched. And while many people think of “the f-bomb” as a fairly modern word, it has been in existence (in publication!) since the 1500’s, according to Meriam-Webster; while there are no documented uses of the word in any Civil War correspondence, it is almost certain that it was a word the soldiers would have used.

The Real Rosetta

The moment I saw the real Rosetta’s photo on the cover of An Uncommon Soldier: The Civil War Letters of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, alias Pvt. Lyons Wakeman, 153rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers, 1862-1864, I knew I was going to have to read her letters. She captivated me then, and reading her letters even now, I still find myself surprised and tickled and saddened. She was remarkable, and here she is:

sarah-rosetta-wakeman

You wouldn’t ever guess the soldier pictured here is a woman, would you?