Tuesday afternoon
3 o'clock.
I wrote you Sunday enclosing the $20, which I suppose you rec'd all safe.
I am still anchored here in my bed—I am sitting up now on the side—Mrs.
O'Connor1 has just been to see me—I was glad to see her—I
am still improving, but slowly—the doctor did not come yesterday, which I suppose is a
good sign—I expect him this afternoon or evening—he evidently thinks I am on the
gain—Pete has just come in, & will take this to the p. o. for me—Love to
you, dear mother2, & to all—
Walt.
Notes
- 1. For a time Walt Whitman lived with William D. and
Ellen M. O'Connor, who, with Charles Eldridge and later John Burroughs, were to
be his close associates during the early Washington years. William Douglas
O'Connor (1832–1889) was the author of the pro-Whitman pamphlet "The Good
Gray Poet" in 1866 (a digital version of the pamphlet is available at "The Good Gray Poet: A Vindication"). Ellen "Nelly" O'Connor,
William's wife, had a close personal relationship with Whitman. In 1872 Whitman
and William strongly disagreed on the Fifteenth Amendment, which Whitman opposed
and O'Connor supported. Ellen defended Whitman's opinion, and in response
William moved out. The correspondence between Walt Whitman and Ellen is almost
as voluminous as the poet's correspondence with William. For more on Whitman's
relationship with the O'Connors, see "O'Connor, William Douglas (1832–1889)." [back]
- 2. Louisa Van Velsor Whitman (1795–1873) married
Walter Whitman, Sr., in 1816; together they had nine children, of whom Walt was
the second. The close relationship between Louisa and her son Walt contributed
to his liberal view of gender representation and his sense of comradeship. For
more information on Louisa Van Velsor Whitman, see Sherry Ceniza, "Whitman, Louisa Van Velsor (1795–1873)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]