War Poetry Collection

The War Poetry collection aims to become the largest digital library of war poetry, drawing on voices from across history, cultures, and backgrounds to capture the full scope of the human experience of war.

130+

Poets

1200+

Poems

And growing…

Search our collection.


Updates

Herman Melville – Battle Pieces

Herman Melville’s Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War is one of those collections that sits in a strange place: familiar in tone to anyone who has read Civil War history, but also deeply personal and unsettled in ways that historians often smooth over. What makes this book important isn’t just that Melville wrote poetry about…

Henry Timrod – Poet of the Confederacy

I’m pleased to announce that we’ve added a significant—and often overlooked—voice of the American Civil War era to our collection: Henry Timrod and, in particular, his war-time poetry. The volume we’re drawing from is Poems of Henry Timrod; with Memoir. What I want to do here is walk through why this addition feels valuable—what Timrod does…

Drum-Taps by Walt Whitman

I’m very pleased to announce that Drum Taps, Walt Whitman’s Civil War poetry collection, has now been added to our growing archive of war poetry.


Poetry Review

10 Poems for a Laugh

The poetry of the First World War is often associated with grim depictions of suffering, loss, and the futility of war. However, woven through the bleakness is another kind of verse—humorous, sardonic, and sometimes absurd.

7 Poems for Brother’s Lost

Asleep within the deadest hour of night And, turning with the earth, I was aware How suddenly the eastern curve was bright,

Our collection is growing

If you have any recommendations for additions to this collection, let us know.