On April 1, 1865, Whitman had signed a contract with Brooklyn printer Peter Eckler to publish "Drum-Taps", a 72-page collection of 43 poems in which Whitman addressed the emotional experiences of the Civil War. "Drum-Taps" was being printed at the time of Lincoln's assassination two weeks later. Upon learning of the president's death, Whitman delayed the printing to insert a quickly-written poem, "Hush'd Be the Camps To-Day", into the collection. The poem's subtitle indicates it was written on April 19, 1865—four days after Lincoln's death. Whitman was unsatisfied with the poem and resolved to write a fitting poem mourning Lincoln's death.