Your letter came last evening containing the $6.1 Two days since I received one from Probasco,2 containing $3 (not 5 as you mention.) I send a note, same mail as this, acknowledging the latter. I shall, either by letter giving specific names, hospitals, No. of the particular beds, and dates, or more likely by a letter in print in newspaper, for I am going to print a sort of hospital journal in some paper, send you and Mr. Lane3 and Probasco, a pretty plain schedule of the manner of my outlays of the sums sent by them to the hospital soldiers through me—as it would interest you all, as you say. Meantime, dear brother, do not crowd the thing in the least—do not ask any one when it becomes unpleasant—let it be understood by our engineer friends &c. that I have mentioned the subscription affair as forwarded, to be left entirely to their sense of what they wish to do, and what they think it would be discreet for them to do. I did not wish you to send $5, for I do not think it right—it is entirely too much—nor mother $1—I think she has enough, present and future, to attend to—but since it has come, I shall use it—I distributed between 2 & $3 yesterday.
What ought to be done by our family, I feel that I am doing, and have done myself. I have made $27 while I have been here, and got the money, and I should think I have paid in little items and purchases and money gifts at least $10 of that to the soldiers—I wouldn't take a thousand dollars for the satisfaction it has been to me—but, Jeff, I postpone till we come together again, any attempt to make you realize this whole thing.
Of course you have received, (probably about to-day,) a long letter I have written to Mother.4 Nothing definite appears to-day about the status or movements of the Army of the Potomac, but my guess, at a venture, is, that they either have moved down the Rappahannock toward Potomac, or are about moving. Whenever it is to cross or not and whether for an attack or march, or whether as some think to Fortress Monroe, is quite unknown. You must not be alarmed at hearing of an advance, or engagement—at a distance it is more appalling than it deserves to be thought-Some think a portion goes west to Rosecrans.5 It is so dangerous and critical for the government to make any more failures like that at Fredericksburgh, that it seems incredible to be any repetition of that most complete piece of mismanagement perhaps ever yet known in the earth's wars.6 I have not heard from George—it is good that you got a long letter.7 Jeff, I feel that you and dearest mother are perhaps needlessly unhappy and morbid about our dear brother—to be in the army is a mixture of danger and security in this war which few realize—they think exclusively of the danger.8
Your intelligence about Han9 is but what we might have anticipated before. Poor Han, her situation must have been for a long while, only a life of torment and degradation, with no prospect of any improvement. Such a pup as Heyde—such a transparent fool, and little petty, prevaricating mean-livered villain—Jeff, if as I take it is the case, this is not merely one of the putty nosed scoundrel's temporary fits of ugliness, but a deliberate thing meant for good, my judgment is that it would be best to bring the thing to a close by having Han come home—therefore do you or mother write for her to come—write without any fuss, or any allusion to Heyde, as if for her to come on a visit, but to bring her things, all that are handy to move, as if for a good long visit—do the thing with judgment and decision, dear brother, in such a way that poor Han's morbid feelings will not be irritated, nor her despondency or pride aroused to desperation—and she will no doubt come—for if any wretched thing should happen to Han, it would be a life-long anguish to all of us. About Mat's going for her you must judge at home. If Han is pretty well, sufficiently so to travel, I should wish her to come on her own hook without much delay—this, from what I at present see, is the best. We would then be all together for gooder or for worser (with a pretty sure show for the last.) But there would be more satisfaction about it, whatever fortune betided, than to have the continual gnawing we would have about Han the way things have gone on. I should write myself to Han, but you at home there can survey the ground better than I can—about what is exactly needed in this present imbroglio that whining curse has put her and us all in.
About my own concerns here—I must tell you dear brother, my general idea was, (and is) to make application to Chase and Seward10 for some berth on literary grounds, not political ones, (as both those magnates are inclined to travel on the literary shape, I am told,)—So I judged it would be good to get letters introductory from Emerson—and the next-day after I came back from the Arm[or]y, 18 or 20 days since I wrote to R.W.E. at Concord—Unfortunately he was just starting off on a Canada lectures tour—and I delayed and delayed ever since, had given him up and taken to scribbling, &c—but this morning's mail brings me from Buffalo, two splendid letters from him, one letter to Seward, and one to Chase, which I hope, (and though I have well learnt not to count my chickens, &c. I believe and calculate) will, by the way we shall manage it, put me through, to get something. So I feel about that at any rate, the skies are brightening for the Whitman family—(that is one reason why I assume to write so about Han's coming home—and for good poor girl.) Jeff if fortune should indeed be favorable in this move (as it certainly squints that way this morning) we will all be relieved of the poverty question, for dear dear mother and her (not) little responsibilities—Love to dearest sister Mat.
Walt