Ka kammala wannan magana: A shekara ta 1861, shekara biyu kafin ya rubuta wannan waƙar, kwanciyar rai na Longfellow ya girgiza sa'ad da matarsa ta biyu wadda ya yi shekara 18 da aure, wadda yake ƙauna sosai, ta mutu sanadiyyar wata gobara. Sa'an nan kuma a 1863, a lokacin yakin basasa na Amurka, ɗan fari na Longfellow, Charles Appleton Longfellow, ya shiga rundunar soja ba tare da albarkar mahaifinsa ba. An sanar da Longfellow ta wasiƙar da aka rubuta a ranar 14 ga Maris, 1863, bayan da Charles ya tafi. Ya rubuta: "Na yi ƙoƙari sosai na tsayayya wa jarabar zuwa ba tare da izininka ba amma ba zan iya ba". "Ina jin cewa aikina na farko shi ne in yi abin da zan iya yi wa ƙasata kuma zan ba da raina da yardar rai idan hakan zai kasance da wani amfani". Ba da daɗewa ba aka nada Charles a matsayin Laftanar amma, a watan Nuwamba, ya ji rauni sosai a cikin
Yaƙin Mine Run. Daga baya Charles ya warke, amma ya daina aikin soja.