Rubuta ci gaba ga wannan sakin layi - A shekara ta 1861, shekaru biyu kafin rubuta wannan waƙar, kwanciyar hankali na Longfellow ya girgiza lokacin da matarsa ta biyu ta shekaru 18, wanda ya keɓe sosai, ya ƙone a cikin wuta mai haɗari. 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 Lieutenant amma, a watan Nuwamba, ya ji rauni sosai a yakin Mine Run
Ka yi haƙuri. Daga baya Charles ya warke, amma ya daina aikin soja.