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Milburn, or any of the railroad boys, or other friends that may inquire after me, that I send them my

best respects—not forgetting my friends Mr. & Mrs.

every thing lovely—It will not be long now before I shall be back—Till then, take care of yourself, my

car, 50 cts extra—plenty of room & a very easy riding car—thought while I was sitting up here now in my

yesterday afternoon & evening—took a ride up & down Broadway—am now laying off & taking it easy in my

just as natural into habits of doing nothing—lie on the sofa & read the papers—come up punctually to my

it for Sunday—I am feeling well & enjoying myself doing nothing, spending a great deal of time with my

will write you a few lines as I sit here, on a clump of sand by the sea shore—having some paper in my

splendid swim & souse in the surf—the waves are slowly rolling in, with a hoarse roar that is music to my

send it, as I can get along otherwise — I am doing very well, both in health & business prospects here—my

see that you too are jogging along about the same, on your car, with an occasional let up—Often in my

Dear Son, I am sitting here in my room, having just eat a hearty dinner with my mammy , (who has this

month entered on her 76th year, but to my eyes looks young & handsome yet.)

c—he has one fault, & a bad one—that is he will drink, & spree it—which spoils all—True it is none of my

would give it up, & find his pleasure in some other way—Pete, should you see Allen again, give him my

Brooklyn, Friday, July 14. 1867 or '8 Dear Pete, It is pretty much the same with me, as when I wrote my

former letters—still home here with my mother, not busy at any thing particular but taking a good deal

letters that every thing goes on right with you on the road—give my best regards to my friends among

the drivers & conductors—Dear son, I shall now soon be coming back, & we will be together again, as my

Love to you, my dearest boy, & good bye for this time Walt.

Received from Thomas Donaldson Ten Dollars for books— Walt Whitman Dear TD I am here imprison'd yet in my

I have a copy of my big 900 Vol.

I send you my love—& to Charley the same—Mention how Charley's young one is getting along— I will now

bid you good bye for this time, my loving friend, & God bless you, dear comrade, & keep you all right

I will write a line to No. 6, & will speak to the other boys in my next.

Oct 2 Dear boy and Comrade You say it is a pleasure to you to get my letters—well, boy, it is a real

write to you—I just write off-hand, whatever comes up, and, as I said before, mostly about myself & my

Dear Pete, with all my kind friends here & invitations, &c., though I love them all, & gratefully reciprocate

Take care of yourself, & God bless you, my loving comrade. I will write again soon.

I already begin to think about my return to Washington. A month has nearly passed away.

Then about the Broadway drivers, nearly all of them are my personal friends.

So I try to put in something in my letters to give you an idea of how I pass part of my time, & what

which it is my present plan to do the ensuing winter at my leisure in Washington.

I send you my love, & so long for the present. Yours for life, dear Pete, (& death the same).

I thought I would just drop you a line for yourself—but no doubt you keep fully posted about me by my

letters to Pete, as I am willing you or any of my particular friends who wish to, should read them.

afternoon—altogether they make up a show that I can richly spend a month in enjoying—for a change from my

Thompson, conductor, you would say I sent him my love, & have not forgot him.

I wish you to tell John Towers, conductor, I sent him my love, & we will see each other again one of

Simpson My dear Sir: I have been absent in New York & Brooklyn & only returned three days ago.

At present, I can only say that if you are going into publishing & if you feel like taking hold of my

My address is at this office.

…One of my reasons for securing your friendship is my appreciation for you as a man, with knowing your

My dear loving boy, I wish things were situated so you could be with me, & we could be together for a

I must put something to you better than that in my letter.

So I will cheer my boy [&] tell you again, Benton, that I love you dearly, & always keep you in mind,

I am a married man but I am not happy for my disposition is not right.

1867 letter, Wilson acknowledged Walt Whitman's reply of April 12: "I do not want you to misunderstand my

motives in writing to you of my Situation & feelings as I did in my last letter or else I shall have

to be more guarded in my letters to you.

I wrote so because you wanted me to write how I was situated, and give you my mind without reserve, and

As to me & my fortunes I am in pretty good health, thank God—& I am working in the Attorney General's

I send you my love, dear friend & soldier, & I hope this will find you well in health & in good spirits

next to Lewis Brown's in Armory Square Hospital in 1862 and 1863, and recalled Walt Whitman's visits: "My

In reply to your note of some days since, in reference to acting as my agent, for sale of "Leaves of

Nothing very new or different in my affairs.

here in Atty Gens office—same posish position —have good health—expect to bring out new editions of my

books before very long—how is the little boy—I send my love to him, & to your wife & parents.

wrote but then deleted: "O if we could only be together now even if only Dear Boy, dear, dear friend, my

In 1888 Walt Whitman commented to Horace Traubel about this letter: "I can't live some of my old letters

Please accept my respects to editor & house—with thanks to yourself for promptness.

reached me, I have to say that I accept the proposal made in it respecting your English publication of my

that you have the privilege of selling that publication in the United States, on payment to me, or my

My book has never been really published here at all & the market is in a sort vacant of supplies.

Accept my thanks for the William Blake .

And now, my dear sir, please accept with my trust in the success of the enterprise my kindest respects

I should like to know who wrote the piece in the Morning Star —it flushed my friends & myself too, like

Rossetti to whom, meantime, please offer my friendliest, truest regards.

My dear mother is living & well; we speak of you. I wish you to give my best respects & love to Mr.

I shall have to try a head of him presently for my American Gallery: Emerson, Thoreau, and Walt" (The

Routledge In my note of January 17 last, sending "Whispers of Heavenly Death," I included a request for

If agreeable therefore, please request the New York house to send by express, at my expense, thirty copies

of the "Broadway" containing the piece, to my address, Attorney Gen's office, here.

My dear Edmund Yates, Pardon me for my forgetfulness about the pictures.

Walt Whitman My address here is Solicitor's Office, Treasury , and shall always be happy to hear from

If you see him, tell him I have not forgot him, but send him my love, & will be back in Washington again

Sent May 9—'68 My dear Charles Hine, I received with gladness the authentic sign & proof that you are

Believe me, my friend, I have not forgotten you, nor your old kindness & friendliness. Also Mrs.

In the meantime, I send you by same mail as this a copy of my last edition, also a little book, written

Burroughs, (a second Thoreau,) and a newspaper, with letter —the book & letter all about my precious

General's office—have a pleasant berth, moderate pay, but sufficient— I am well, weight nearly 200, & eat my

…My dear old friend, I love you."

I suppose you got my second letter last Wednesday.

I put down off hand, & write all about myself & my doings, &c. because I suppose that will be really

what my dear comrade wants most to hear, while we are separated.

I am doing a little literary work, according as I feel in the mood—composing on my books.

Among the pilots are some of my particular friends—when I see them up in the pilot house on my way to

Washington March 24, '68 My dear Mr.

conversation between us a few days since, allow me in candor to say, that I should decidedly prefer to retain my

Record Clerk, the duties of which I feel that I can fulfil properly—& that I would therefore, as far as my

Browning's part, would I deem it my duty to waive the preference mentioned, & obey your commands.

— I expect to return in about two weeks—I am writing this here in the kitchen home,—I have deserted my

cakes for breakfast—sometimes I fry them myself—I wish you could just be here & eat breakfast—I think my

mammy makes the best coffee in the world, & buckwheats ditto—mince-pies ditto— —My new edition looks

the best yet—it is from the same plates as the last, only in One Vol. bound handsomely in green cloth—my

books sent to England by to-morrow's steamer—Dear son, I send my best love, as always.

Y. on a visit to my mother, but I am now back here again, and am well as usual, and working in the same

There is nothing very new in my affairs.

—it is quite pleasant—mostly young people, full of life & gayety—then I go to my work at 9, & leave at

I wish you to give my love to your father & mother. They do not seem at all like strangers to me.

And now Alfred I must bid you farewell for the present, my loving boy & comrade.

Camden Oct 26, '87 early P M —have just had my dinner, (plain boil'd beef, potatoes & a roast apple—all

relish'd well) & am now sitting here in my big chair in the little front room —Cold & cloudy out—looks

fuller details)—The Pall Mall Gaz. letter you speak of appears to have erased a sentence or two (showing my

of home helpers) —but even as it is I hope it doesn't bear the construction you speak of—I enclose my

been real pleasant—I have been out most of the time—It is now between 4 and 5—I am writing this up in my

room home—am going out, & over to New York this evening—nothing special to write about— Pete, my darling

My dear Conway, I send the accompanying article in hopes you can do me the favor to dispose of it to

compliance with request in your name in letter from George Routledge & Sons, New York, of December 28th & my

For my own convenience & to insure correctness I have had the MS. put in type, & thus transmit it to

It is to be distinctly understood that I reserve the right to print it in any future editions of my book

Hoping success to the Magazine, & that my piece may be found acceptable for it, I remain Respectfully

&c yours, Walt Whitman My address is at Attorney General's Office, Washington City, U.S.A.

My address is Attorney Gen's office, this city.

would (I quote) like to keep & use an original poem—three-page poem—sent him from me, but demurs to my

I repeat, that I distinctly reserve the right of printing the piece in a future edition of my poems.

My address is at the Attorney General's office here. (New York house, please forward this to Mr.

the way things work on the road—It wont won't be very long, now before I shall be back with you—Give my

Nash—tell Wash Milburne I wish him success in the "graduate of Pharmacy" line, & every thing else— give him my

skeleton, faculties good, but voice only a low whisper—I returned last night, after midnight —Well bub, my

time here is short—I have had a good quiet visit—the best in some respects yet—& I feel satisfied —My

My cold hangs on, though not so bad as at first.

The state of the weather, & my cold, &c. have rather blocked me from having my usual enjoyment here,

trouble)—I go out a couple of hours middle of the day, but keep in nights— —I have got the new edition of my

enclosed, as you may need it—Should you want more, you write, as I have plenty—I am writing this up in my

butter—every thing tip-top—get along well enough—you must try to do the same—so good bye, for this time, my

the pipes through the house, & burst them yesterday, causing great trouble—I too have got a bad cold, my

three hours during the day)— I will only write this very short letter to you this time, but send you my

love, my darling son—I think about you every day dear son—will write more, soon—here is a kiss for you

letter to you this time—I feel pretty well, but don't seem to feel like writing—Good bye for to-day, my

first rate— I spent yesterday down on the sea-shore—was all by myself—had a splendid good day—took my

first part of next week if nothing happens— Well, Pete, I believe that is all this morning—Good bye, my

I have been home—six weeks— —I am middling well, go out some every day, but not much—Best thing is my

Good bye, my darling son—So the new shirts turn out a success do they?

I have a great mind to be jealous—Give my love to Wash Milburn, Adrian Jones, & all the RR boys.

Dear Son Pete, Here I sit again by the heater in the parlor, writing my weekly letter—I have just had

my dinner, some cold turkey & glass of Missouri wine &c.

—had been out to the P.O. some five or six squares distant—but have to take my time—Am still getting

is undoubtedly better, which, I hope will in time bring improvement in my walking, & in my head, &c

November 25, they print a portrait of my beautiful phiz. & a criticism on my books, one of the best &

get it Saturday—which may have made you some uneasy—but you need not be, as I still continue to hold my

proposed Centennial Exposition —I will send you pictures of the buildings soon— I am sitting here in my

& come and call on me, should he come to Philadelphia—Tell Wash Milburn, & Parker also, I send them my

at their bloody tricks till the U.S. (& perhaps England) steps in & kicks them out of Cuba—which in my

Dear Pete, dear son, I am sitting here in my room again writing to you—there is no particular change

in the situation—we are having some pretty cold weather here—I go out a little every day, but my walking

I suppose you got mine last Tuesday— —I have just had my dinner, bean soup, boiled beef, & pumpkin-pie

worse—it is now just after 2, & I am feeling quite comfortable—& hope this will find you all right, my

Dear Son Pete, Nothing very new with me—I continue about the same—my general strength the best it has

—As I write this holding the paper on my lap I am sitting here in the parlor, by the heater—have had

my dinner—drank quite a goblet of wine, which I believe has flown into my head.

I wear my old gray suit, & the old black overcoat,—& when very cold, or stormy my gray shawl—If you should

see me now leaning against Milburn's counter, you wouldn't see any difference from last winter —(but my

My health keeps good, & work easy.

I often think of you, my loving boy, and think whether you are all right & in good health, & working

As I told you in my previous letter, this city is quite small potatoes after living in New York.

I write this early in the forenoon, sitting in my room in 55th street, after breakfast.

As to getting my leave extended so that I might stay to vote, I have settled (as I spoke of in a former

I am now going out down town, & across to Brooklyn, to spend a few hours with my mother.

I don't know whether I told you that my sister with her two young children from St.

I delivered my poem here before the College yesterday. All went off very well.

I will send you the little book with my poem, (& others) when I get back to Brooklyn.

Pete did my poem appear in the Washington papers—I suppose Thurs-day or Friday— Chronicle or Patriot

evening March 8 Dear son, I thought I would write you just a short letter, if no more, as you are in my

I sometimes come to the office nights, to read, it is so quiet—and now I am sitting here at my desk,

So I thought of my dear boy, and will send a few words, though nothing particular to say.

Johnny, I send you my love, & good night for this time—the mail closes at 8, & it is some after 7 now

Johnny, you say you should like to see me—Well, no more than I should to see you, my darling boy.

Walt Whitman at this point deleted "Jack" and "my darling."

The first reading was "my loving boy."

Walt Whitman excised "Johnny" and "my dear son."