This Dust Was Once The Man Poem by Walt Whitman

i agree with you totally!

Seems like another Abe Lincoln poem to me. He 'fought the foulest crime in history in any land or age' and 'saved the Union.' I think that, with reference to the first line, he is commenting about the ash being the remains of Abe Lincoln, a legend.

I totally agree with you..you are totally right about it being about slavery and Lincon saving the union.

Of course I'm right, and of course Cavanaugh agrees with me. Wait a minute, Cavanaugh, what are you doing here? *chases her out with a rolled up poetry book*

I think you're right about the slavery thing. Thanks for posting that. I hadn't thought of that but now that you say it you're right.

I think 'the foulest crime in history' is slavery, and that it talks about Lincoln saving the union by despatching slavery.

I feel that Whitman had a lot of respect for Abraham Lincoln and his success in uniting American and that this poem was dedicated to him. I think that the 'foulest crime in history' might mean the Civil War but more likely the assassination of President Lincoln.