Tone: This poem focuses on the mother's feelings as she learns of her son's death. Her overt expression of grief seems honest and heartfelt. Perhaps Whitman is recalling his mother's reaction when she learned of her son George's wounding near Fredericksburg.
Theme: The topic of warfare, more specifically the impact that a soldier's involvement in war has on the family. The poem occurs on a calm Ohio autumn day, tranquil and wondrous on a quiet farm.