[several words illegible]
Osceola | | By Walt Whitman | | | [Sent to the Editors?]
| [When I was I was nearly grown to manhood in Brooklyn New York, ^(middle of 1838) met one of the returned US Marines from Fort Moultrie S.C. and had long talks with him.—learn'd the occurrence here below described—the death of Osceol[o?]a The latter was a ^young, brave, leading Seminole in the Florida war of that time,—was surrender'd to our troops,—was imprison'd and ^literally died of "a broken heart" at Fort Moultrie. He sicken'd of ^his confinement—the doctor and officers w made every allowance ^and kindness possible for him; but his life's-end then the close:]
| | When his hour for death had come, | | He slowly rais'd himself from the bed on | | the floor, | | Drew on his war-dress, shirt, and leggings, | | and girdled the belt around his waist; | | Call'd for vermilion paint (his looking-glass | | was held before him,) | | Painted the half his face and neck, his wrists, | | and the back-hands, | | Put the scalp-knife carefully in his belt— | | then lying down, resting a moment, | | Rose again, half sitting, smiled, gave in silence | | his extended to each and all, | | Sank faintly low to the floor, tightly grasp'd | | the tomahawk handle, | | Fix'd his look on wife and little children—the | | last: | | (And here a line in memory of his | | name and death.) |
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- Date
- This manuscript, apparently printer's copy, was probably written in 1889 or 1890, shortly before the poem's publication.
- Editorial note
- "Osceola" was published first in Munyon's Illustrated World, April 1890.
- The verso of the manuscript leaf is blank.
- Location
- Osceola | Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
- Whitman Archive ID
- yal.00037
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