Reply to comment

My personal experience played a role in my interpretation of this poem.  I served in the US NAvy for eight years and the imagery that came to my mind had to do with my own experiences.  In the military the President of the United States is addressed as Commander in Chief and not Captain.  When a ship goes down or rather sinks from damage, the Captain of the ship goes down with it wether dead or still living. That is the tradition.  So, Lincoln does not come to mind for me when reading this poem.  However, I do not think that Whitman was a sailor and had all this knowledge but earnestly meant to portray something that would try to make one think of Lincoln and his death in a romantic way.  I think Whitman's efforts worked.