essays and thesis statements

[mttp1990]

hi,
im having trouble analyzing a poem by walt whitman, "Hush'd be the camps today":

Hush'd be the camps to-day,
And soldiers let us drape our war-worn weapons,
And each with musing soul retire to celebrate,
Our dear commander's death.

No more for him life's stormy conflicts,
Nor victory, nor defeat--no more time's dark events,
Charging like ceaseless clouds across the sky.

But sing poet in our name,
Sing of the love we bore him--because you, dweller in camps, know it
truly.

As they invault the coffin there,
Sing--as they close the doors of earth upon him--one verse,
For the heavy hearts of soldiers.

can anyone help me find the message within the poem? or even help me write a thesis staement? all ive found in the poem is that its about the death of Abraham Lincoln.

Thanks,

-Mike