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leafhandwritten; A scrap of Civil War memoranda headed "51st N Y V" in which Whitman mentions the death of Captain
I am very anxious to hear something of the whereabouts of my Capt I have written several times and as
My Dear Sir I had the honor to recive the fiew lines you addressed to me, which was delivered by my particular
In my humble opinion there is nothing so well calculated to inspire a soldier with new courage and fresh
acquaintance may ripen into a mutual attachment The preasent you sent me I received for which accept my
Friend Walter, Sir accordain to promis I now embrace this opportunity of informing you of my Safe arrival
My Friends gave me a warm reception Such as how are you Bush got robed did you &c I told them how it
I had the pleasure of meeting my Capt G.
laugh at me for not being sharper I told them it would be all right in cours of time live & learn is my
If you dont I do and I long for to see mine very much and I think she will want to see me— give my letter
Please to remember me to Miss Lowell Brown , Benedict, Bartlett, & Chas Cate —also to all others of my
Friend Walt, I have been setting at the foot of what I call my bed idoly speculating, on the past, and
met and called them Friends how often the word Friend, is missplace, but you have told me you were my
Friend and called me your young Friend, I thank you for that priveledge from the inmost recess of my
camp, expecting to meet you there I was sorrowfully disapointed on my arrival there to find that my
little Wife and my home, to enjoy a few of your leisure hours cheerfully.
He was promoted to full captain in the 25th New York Cavalry on 1 Jul 1864.
burg Oct. 22 1864 Dear friend walt I arrived home the 18 I had to stop over my on account of Sheridan
to late now & I did not hear of it in time there is considerable excitement here about the election. my
duty is verry hard now on our regiment especily for it is pretty small well now I will have to close my
letter by saying good by my dear friend walt Bethuel Smith to Walt Whitman, 28 February 1864
morning but did not & now I am to gow tomorrow morning I guess that they wont put it off anny longer my
Excuse all mistakes an Bad Writing Also Excuse mi shoart letter this tim an i will try and Do Better in my
and for two or three days many said I could not live but I had a good Doctor and have almost regained my
My dear Walt,— Your letter to Wm. of July 24. he forwarded to me in a letter that I got last evening.
Did you like my picture?
You told William you got my letter, so you must have got the picture enclosed.
It was in my first letter—I have sent you three, this is my fourth to you, have you got them all?
Just think, Walt, of my being a lion down here on your account, because it is known that I have the honor
incursions, no more new developments in the Ginnaty affair, no more detentions by fire or water occur, my
I shall get into New York about an hour later than usual, & put my baggage upon the Stonington Boat to
and now this is my third epistle to you, so I shall claim a word from you when you are able to write.
My sister & Dr. Channing both ask for you with the greatest interest, & Jeannie , Mrs.
Ginnaty was not to be my neighbor.
My love to your mother, & very much to you, always, dear Walt, from Your friend Nelly O'Connor.
Then lift your white hands, and my arms From harms And troubles the baby will keep.
Ellen O'Connor related in a letter on November 24, 1863, that the Count had said to her recently: "My
I think I never in my life felt so wholly blue and unhappy about any one's going away as I did and have
One reason that I have not written to you before is that I have been so unhappy I thought my letter would
Our affairs remain as they did when you left, & that is one cause of my delay.
hideous, William forbids my giving any of them away.
Walt that I hope he will come home soon, & see papa, & tell him I send my love to him & a kiss.
enclose you $50.00 and am sorry that I cant send you more, but Mother if you need more before I get my
I have a nice wall tent all alone to myself and if I have some one to look out for my grub, I shall be
Mother I believe I mentioned in my last letter about your haveing some of my pictures taken and sent
Dear Mother, give my love to all and let me hear from you often. Direct Capt G. W. W.
I lost nearly half of my Co but we won the fight and the rebel loss was pretty heavy.
We have had the best of the fighting so far and its my opinion that Genl Grant has got Lee in a pretty
Mother, give my love to Mattie and the little gals. G. W.
pretty buissy building rifle pitts, cutting roads and throwing up earthworks &c (I believe I told you in my
You see Mother I have to date my letters yet from near Petersburg instead of from Richmond We are laying
I hold my own first rate and feel about as well as ever I did.
been kept pretty buisy trying to get things straigtened out, but this morning one of our seniour Captains
Give my love to all. George W.
Babcock of our Regt (who is with the Regt) and tell him to send my things home by express, as I should
John Gibson Wright rose from captain to colonel in the Fifty-first New York Volunteer Regiment; he was
Made Captain Aug. 1864got a family in Buffalo" (Manuscripts of Walt Whitman in the Collection of American
State Volunteers where he enrolled as first sergeant of Company F (and was eventually promoted to captain
I lost one man killed and two wounded in my Co out of 11 that I took in the fight.
Give my love to all G W Whitman George Washington Whitman to Louisa Van Velsor Whitman, 20 May 1864
Walt recorded in his diary for May 9, 1865, that Captain Samuel Pooley (see George Whitman's letter to
about as ugly, and can eat any amount of corn bread, so you see, dear Mother that I am all right, and my
F of our Regt. and tell him to send my things home by Express. Much love to all. G. W.
Waldron, and Captain Charles W. Walton.
I should like for Jeff (some time when he is over in New York) to stop at the place where I had my pictures
I believe I have written all that I can think at present so good bye Mamy, give my love to Mattie, Jeff
I found my trunk up at Fort Schuyler all right the morning I left home.
from the rebel Artillery and the talk is that the men could not be got forward to the second line, but my
I tried my best, to keep the men from falling back, but Capt Sims was killed just at this time so it
Mother I should like very much to have you send me a dozen of my pictures (those you sent to me at Annapolis
Give my love to Mattie and all. Good night G. W.
Wright wrote: "The Command of the Regiment then devolved upon Captain George W.
I am happy to say he discharged the duties of the responsible position to my entire satisfaction, and
The boys had the devils own time to keep from getting swamped, I just fixed my bunk so there was no
danger of my getting drowned, and then turned in and slept till it stopped raining.
been there since last Sept) Pooley is here and just as good natured as ever, McReady is 2d Lieut of my
Made Captain Aug. 1864—got a family in Buffalo" (Walt Whitman Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript
I sent my trunk from Annapolis to Washingt to our Sutler, who keeps a place in Washington his name is
As Captain Whitman marched through Washington with his regiment, Walt Whitman walked beside him.
am Good bye Han tell Mother I am better and want to come home and see you all more than ever, give my
Starting in the New York Militia, Wright was a captain in the 51st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
I felt as though it was my duty to go to him for he is one of the dearest brothers ever was given to
The entry which begins, "I find this in my notes" (see images 35, 36, and 38) was revised and used in
Dear Father, As I always wish to fulfill my promises I will enjoy this afternoon in writing a letter
in order to let you know how I got home and how my health is So I left Washington that evening at 5 Oc
I went to the Soldiers Home and got my supper and took a good sleep I left Pittsburg a little after 2
to the door whar I had a grand interunion with my friends I found all of them in good health they were
If my friend is in the Hospital yet tell him I got home all right I guess I will close by biding you
Whitman asks Brown to allow Livensparger to read his letter and to tell him "that I sent him my love.
Dear Friend I take this time to write to you to let you know how I am I am well at presant my wound is
Dear Friend I take this opportunity to write to you to let you know how I am I am well and my wound is
home but I could not So I had to come back here the Doctor ask me when I came back if I did not want my
told him that I would rather be transfered to newyork and if I could not that I would like to have my
discharge, he said that he would get me transfered or give me my discharge I walk with crutches yet
take the present time to write a few lines to you to let you know how I am I am very well at presant my
know where I am and also that I am in the enjoyment of middling good health I heard from you through my
Father some time ago and I have wanted to visit you but I am sorry to say my health will not admit of
my being out much this cold weather.
If you remember I was wounded through my lung and the ball is now near my right kidney and I am not as
I feel quite well to day I have just received a letter from my Brother in my Regt (15th nj) he spoke
know where I am and also that I am in the enjoyment of middling good health I heard from you through my
Father some time ago and I have wanted to visit you but I am sorry to say my health will not admit of
my being out much this cold weather .
If you remember I was wounded through my lung and the ball is now near my right kidney and I am not as
I feel quite well to day I have just received a letter from my Brother in my Regt (15th NJ) he spoke
The heat is delicious I have a constant bath in my own perspiration.
June 28th [1864] Dear Walt It was my purpose to write to you while home, but ill health prevented me
from fulfilling half my plans.
John Frederick Schiller Gray was a captain in the Twentieth New York Infantry and later held the same
Somerville February 12, 1864 My dear Walt Whitman.
I have seen the new moon over my right shoulder to some purpose lately.
Give my love to the O'Connors. Good bye. Your friend, J. T. Trowbridge John T.
biography, The Ferry Boy and the Financier (Boston: Walker and Wise, 1864); he described their meetings in My
Though Trowbridge was not an idolator of Whitman, he wrote to O'Connor in 1867: "Every year confirms my
On October 18, 1863, Babbitt was depressed—"dark clouds seem to be lying in my pathway and I can not
remove them nor hide them from my mind"—until he mentioned his beloved, Nellie F.
Of the O'Connors, Thomas Jefferson Whitman wrote on June 13, 1863: "I am real glad, my dear Walt, that
writing to you, and I take the opportunity of sending a few lines in his letter , as a slight token of my
Department What has become of Mr OConnors People are they still in washington if they are give them my
you will I shall be very much obliged If this letter gets to you and I receive an ans I will send you my
Mr Whitman Dear Sir I once more take my pen in hand to write a few lines to you And if I dont get an
Yours Truly I have my Photograph when I receive yours I will send you Give my respects to Mrs.
My dear Friend Your kind letter came to hand yesterday.
I never think of you but it makes my heart glad to think that I have bin permited to know one so good
I have got my leg but I think that I will never be able to walk much on it as my stump is so short but
if I cant I can go on my crutches for they appear to be a part of myself for I have bin on them so long
I have not succeeded in getting a position in any of the Depts yet thoug my M.C. tried quite hard Gov
I received a answer to my first letter stating that you wer at home sick.
I have got my discharge from the Hospitals about 3 weeks ago & am now employed in the Provost Marshall
I had a very pleasant time only I broke my leg just as I got ready to come home & had some little difficulty
in getting home without my cruches I got so I could walk quite well on my leg only last week my stump
there has bin two small pieces of bone come out but I think in a little while I will be ready to wear my
Dear Walter, I take my pen in hand as a final resort to find out where you are. as it appears to me it
will stay untill August I get out now most every day untill six oclock but I never see you I have got my
evening as you usd to do at the old Armory but alas I never see your [old] familliar in the threshold of my
Watersboro Sept 17th Mr Whitman I take the liberty of addressing you at the request of my cousin Milton
among our sick & wounded soldiers, who indeed must feel very grateful to meet with such a friend as my
My cousin seems to be gaining slowly, & his friends does not think him strong enough to return for two
Whitman: I have been very much interested in your hospital work, of which I have heard through my brother