Rare Walt Whitman letter discovered in National Archives

Last month, volunteers at the National Archives discovered Walt Whitman's name at the bottom of a letter written on behalf of an illiterate dying soldier. When it came to confirming the authenticity of the letter, they called on UNL Professor Kenneth M. Price, co-director of the Walt Whitman Archive and an expert on the author's handwriting, for help.

Price determined that this newly discovered letter was written by Whitman. The signature at the bottom of the letter matches Whitman's signature on other documents, and the letter itself exhibits Whitman's unique way of writing the letters x, d, and I, as well as his habit of using a plus sign for the word “and."

The prolific writer and poet was known to visit hospitalized soldiers and write letters on their behalf. However, most of these letters have been lost or possibly destroyed. Only three of Whitman's "soldier letters" are known to exist, including this most recent discovery, which will now be housed in a vault at the National Archives with other valuable documents.

Read the story from the Washington Post >>

Read the story from the Guardian >>

Watch Professor Ken Price's interview with a local news station >>