# Daniel Mark Epstein on Walt Whitman's "The Death of Lincoln"

The Library of Congress presented an evening concert and a dramatic reading of Walt Whitman's historic lecture on the "Death of Lincoln." Daniel Mark Epstein, author of "Lincoln and Whitman: Parallel Lives in Civil War Washington" (Ballantine Books, 2004), offered a complete reading of Whitman's tribute to the assassinated president. Whitman first delivered the "Death of Lincoln" lecture at Steck Hall in New York on April 14, 1879, to reflect upon the meaning of Lincoln's death to an American nation pressed to reunite and heal from the wounds of the Civil War. In keeping with the outline of Whitman's original 19th century lecture program that began with a musical performance, Epstein's lecture was preceded by a short concert of musical selections performed by members of the Air Force Band, in a brass quintet with tenor solo and piano. The lecture includes an account of the tragic events at Ford's Theatre and a reading of poetry, including Whitman's popular tribute to Lincoln, "O Captain, My Captain."

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2005
- By: Library Of Congress. Literary Initiatives Office
- Genres: History, Music
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/2021687680/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/2021687680?play=1)