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Mother, I am feeling very well these days—my head that was stopt up so & hard of hearing seems to be

hulls on—I go down to market sometimes of a morning & buy two or three quarts, for the folks I take my

little girl, (lost a fine boy about a year ago)—they have two rooms in the same house where I hire my

will have it so—that's the way it has gone on now over five months, & as I say they won't listen to my

insisted on going to market, (it is pleasant in the cool of the morning,) and getting the things, at my

Of the O'Connors, Jeff wrote on June 13, 1863: "I am real glad, my dear Walt, that you are among such

have a favorable opportunity, by means of a visitor to the hospital, who is now sitting by the side of my

called upon me & given me a few trifles——— Dear friend, I wish you would say to Mrs Rice I send her my

the face of a friend,—I wish you would write me a good long letter, some of you my dear friends, as

a letter from home is very acceptable in hospital——— My diarrhea is still somewhat troublesome, yet I

please put a stamp on & write to me—Please give my love to the friends in the village & tell them I

I am real glad my dear Walt that you are among such good people.

series of lectures & readings &c. through different cities of the north, to supply myself with funds for my

As he wrote Jeff, he hoped it would enable him "to continue my Hospital ministrations, on a more free

companys of our regmet is at millsprings an 5 here they will return today they 70 prisners yesterd give my

Captain Francis M.

Mother, I have nothing particular to write about—I see & hear nothing but new & old cases of my poor

would literally sink & give up, if I did not pass a portion of the time with them—I have quite made up my

the way I shall put it in operation—you know, mother, it is to raise funds to enable me to continue my

everywhere & receive no pay — Dear, dear mother, I want much to see you & dear Matty too, I send you both [my

have not had a word from George yet—Mother, I have had quite an attack of sore throat & distress in my

a great effect upon him, & although I told the truth this time it did not have as good a result as my

The equipage is rather shabby, horses indeed almost what my friends the Broadway drivers would call old

here, sat in his carriage while Stanton came out & had a 15 minutes interview with him (I can see from my

sixteen, (about ten bugles, the rest cymbals & drums)—I tell you, mother, it made every thing ring—made my

My ambition points to this branch for myself I feel qualified for an inspector of Hospitals and I think

Give my kind regard to Amos [Herbert] and others of Campbell Hospital.

The Army of the Potomac "Oh my" what has to come of it I hope to hear of brilliant achievements in that

Dear brother I am in a tremendious hurry, and you must excuse my letter.

, to the Hospital, &c. but I could not bring myself to go again—when I meet black men or boys among my

wards of a hospital, & trying to give a word of cheer, if nothing else, to every one, then confining my

My Dear Freind Walter.

It is with mutch pleasure that I take my pen in hand to inform you that I am well and that my leg is

I have had a good many of my young friends to see me.

My Father and Mother are well and send their respects to you for Mother says whoeve[r] did me a faivor

I expect that you still visit the Hospital if so give my respects to the boys I have nothing more to

partly scornful, or occasionally put a dry remark, which only adds fuel to the flame—I do not feel it in my

find that the deeper they go in with the draft, the more trouble it is likely to make—I have changed my

family, still I feel somewhat uneasy—about Jeff, if any one, as he is more around—I have had it much on my

have no doubt I shall make a few hundred dollars by the lectures I shall certainly commence soon, (for my

hospital missionary purposes & my own, for that purpose) & I could lend that am't to Jeff to pay it

From my own personal observations I think that the newspapers would give one the most perverted kind

From my own personal observations I think that the newspapers would give one the most perverted kind

My idea is this, to make a certain portion of the city, say certain wards that make a district, not too

My theory is that before the people found out the thing drafting would be over, and like the fellow that

Fort Bennet, July 21st 1863 Adjutant General Thomas, General: I have the honor to forward this my application

Herewith please see testimonials from my officers. I have the honor General to remain &c.

had on  leaving our trunks here in camp, and two or three times I have went to a pond and took off my

night, and got up at 4 O clock next morning feeling first rate, and I am now as well as ever I was in my

I had a very pleasant passage and enjoyed the ride very much but yet I found that my wounds were somewhat

how things are moving and will be much pleased to hear from you and I will try to write you more in my

I again take my pen in hand to write a few lines to you to let you know how I am a getting This makes

that Gettysburg Battle. he sais that it was awful, and that he never wants to see the like of it again My

health is verry good, and my leg dos still continue's to mend slowly—but verry slow, the Doctor has

I am enjoying my self as well as I can with my four legs but I cannot go about much yet I am a going

No more at present but good by and write soon with my love to you and all enquiring friends, I remain

About four days ago, I told Doctor he would in my opinion lose the boy without doubt—but F. again laugh'd

Friend witman I now take the plesure of fulfilling my promace of writing to yo hoping to find yo en Joying

good hlth I am not very well i am worse now than wen i got out of bed i tore my wound acoming home the

i have been home i have had the docter and he ordered me to bathe in sider soaky i will hef to have my

better here than they do in washington I find a grate many that donte know me when i arrived in york my

cosin was thare and he brought me to my home it has ben rainy ever since I have been home— give my love

morning, & was welcome, as any thing from you will always be, & the sight of your face welcomer than all, my

Lew, as to me & my affairs there is nothing very new or important—I have not succeeded in getting any

expenses—but it is my own fault, for I have not tried hard enough for any thing—the last three weeks

I have not felt very well—for two or three days I was down sick, for the first time in my life, (as

It is now about 3 o'clock, & I will go out & mail this letter, & then go & get my dinner—So good bye,

Dear friend, I am going to write you to ask any friends you may be in communication with for aid for my

Then I select the most needy cases & devote my time & services much to them.

hospitals, nothing but the mere hard routine, no time for tenderness or extras)—So I go round—Some of my

My brave young American soldiers—now for so many months I have gone around among them, where they lie

too near to each other, there is no time to lose, & death & anguish dissipate ceremony here between my

My honest thanks to you, Hugo, for your letter posting me up not only about yourself but about my dear

When I went up to my room that night towards 11 I took a seat by the open window in the splendid soft

moonlit night, and, there alone by myself, (as is my custom sometimes under such circumstances), I devoted

Fred's room, so pleasant, with its effect I remember of pictures, fine color, &c. to have the delight of my

"My own greatest pleasure at Pfaff's was to look on—to see, talk little, absorb," Whitman observed to

letter from Bloom yesterday—but, before responding to it (which I will do soon) I must write to you, my

Every day or night I spend four, five, or six hours, among my sick, wounded, prostrate boys.

Some of my boys get well, some die.

, good stock, often mere boys, full of sweetness & heroism—often they seem very near to me, even as my

I make no bones of petting them just as if they were—have long given up formalities & reserves in my

when I would come in, he woke up, & I would lean down & kiss him, he would reach out his hand & pat my

aye even their young & precious lives, in their country's cause—Poor dear son, though you were not my

So farewell, dear boy—it was my opportunity to be with you in your last rapid days of death—no chance

(in Portland avenue, 4th door north of Myrtle, my mother's residence.)

My address here is care of Major Hapgood, paymaster U S A, cor 15th & F st, Washington D C.

My Dear Friend Walter, Your very kind and long looked for letter of Aug 1st came to hand on the 6th &

Now I will put in a word for myself my leg still continues to mend verry slow but I hope sure, and I

have ben enjoying my self as well as I could with my sore leg I have bin a way on a visit for a week

& I have enjoyed my sel[f] verry much (for a wounded soldier is something hear I tell you) for the people

a copperhead & a Reblle I would shoot the copperhead first, and to tell you the truth I am proud of my

continues so—yesterday & last night was the hottest—still I slept sound, have good ventilation through my

when I woke up, a thing I never remember to have happened to me before, for I was not disturbed in my

own breakfast in my room & my dinner at a restaurant—I have a little spirit lamp, & always have a capital

on my hand, nor had any dressing for the last five days—Mother, I hope you get along with the heat,

it came right, & give him the men's thanks & my love— Mother, have you heard any thing from Han?

I believe I told you in my last letter about the strange way the baby was born in the Chaplain's—well

past week or so, the heat is bad for the poor wounded men— Well, Lewy, I must now wind up—I send you my

love, my darling son & comrade, & request you to write me soon as convenient, how you are getting along

thousands in the struggle already— Lew, you speak in your letter how you would like to see me—well, my

land & all the items—you say I must excuse you for writing so much foolishness—nothing of the kind—My

have been sun-struck here the last two weeks—I keep shady through the middle of the day lately—Well, my

I have scribbled away any thing, for I wanted to write you to-day & now I must switch off—good by, my

If in his barouche, I can see from my window he does not alight, but sits in the vehicle, and Mr.

"Shining Shores," also called "My Days are Swiftly Gliding By," was written by David Nelson in 1835,

My days are swiftly gliding by, and I a Pilgrim stranger, Would not detain them as I fly, those hours

We'll gird our loins my brethren dear, our distant home discerning.

The sounds and scene altogether had made an indelible impression on my memory.

.; "Shining Shores," also called "My Days are Swiftly Gliding By," was written by David Nelson in 1835

lost] yesterday and was glad to heer from yo and yo were en Joying good helth as for me i am not well my

very slow the warm wether chafed me all to peces and now with all the rest i have got a large boil on my

left knee my famly is well my little girl has ben quite sick but is well agen— the wether has ben very

and came horn and kep hid 3 weeks thare is 30 dollars reward on him i think they had or to hang him my

I was glad you gave Emma Price my direction here, I should like to hear from Mrs Price & her girls first

got along better than I would have thought, but the last week I have felt it more, have felt it in my

head a little—I no more stir without my umbrella, in the day time, than I would without my boots.

I am afraid of the sun affecting my head, & move pretty cautious—Mother, I think every day, I wonder

I send you my love, dear mother, & to all, & wish Jeff & you to write as often as you can— Walt Whitman

Dear Sir, My brother wishes me to inform you of the state of his health, also of his journey home he

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.

Your memory burns as bright as ever in my heart & allways will, thear is now doubt but some of my corrospondants

I will be thear on the last day of August, if I do not get my furlow extended, whitch I have the hopes

of, for I would most as leave come back to see my old friends as stay at home.

The Doctor that tens me hear wants me for to try and get my furlow extended, for he thinks that my leg

Dear Walter I am enjoying my self fine as well, I think, as any cripple can.

some of those battles—I get thinking about it sometimes, & it works upon me so I have to stop & turn my

get them—I sent them & another paper to George—Mother, you none of you ever mention whether you get my

would take away your appetite I know—Mother, I have some idea Han is getting some better, it is only my

idea somehow—I hope it is so from the bottom of my heart—did you hear from Mary's Fanny since?

them, for grandmother will perhaps leave them to you in her will, if you behave like a lady—Matty, my

Dear brother, You did not write any answer to my last two letters, now quite a while ago, still I will

I still remain here in Washington, finding just about work enough to pay my expenses.

he has returned from his furlough, he told me a few days ago he had written to you, & had sent you my

best respects—I told him he must never send my respects to you but always my love.

My journey home was very pleasant to me & what made it the more so (I suppose) was the anticipation of

once more being with my friends.

I arrived here on the 19th the joy of friends on my arrival I will not attempt to say anything about,

My mind is taken back to when I lay suffering in the Hospital & I have a particular feeling of gratitude

the helpless (when away from home) than to find a friend, one in whom we can confide & trust, as was my

mother, how are you nowadays—I do hope you feel well & in good spirits—I think about you every day of my

see women in the hospitals, mothers come to see their sons, & occasionally one that makes me think of my

dear mother—one did very much, a lady about 60, from Pennsylvania, come to see her son, a Captain, very

as it was that time that my hand was cut in the artery, & I was liable to gangrene myself—but she and

breakfast in my room in the morning myself, & dinner at a restaurant about 3 o'clock—I get along very

3 Sept '63 My dear Walter i sit down to write you a few lines you have received georges letter before

georgee was sick a nd Andrew had gone and left her without any money i gave her one dollar and one of my

institutionalizing Jesse because, according to her December 25, 1863 letter, she "could not find it in my

On October 1, 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.

From the moment my eye rested on the Dr I made up my mind that he was a fool, a regular Doctor.

failing very rapidly indeed, he is a mere shadow of what he ought to be and I have not the least doubt in my

What a difference it is with me here—I tell you, Nat, my evenings are frequently spent in scenes that

a few hours a day at copying &c, occasionally write a newspaper letter, & make enough money to pay my

in my room, (have a little spirit lamp) & rub on free & happy enough, untrammeled by business, for I

make what little employment I have suit my moods—walk quite a good deal, & in this weather the rich

love to Fritschy, & Fred Gray—I desire both to write to me—Nat, you also, my dear comrade, & tell me

Dear Sir I feel that as my brothers friend you have been neglecred but owing to sickness in the family

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.

tender heart, & your goodness to those wounded & dying young men—for they have grown to seem to me as my

My morning report this morning (and for the last 8 days has been the same) was I—Capt, 2 Sergts 2 Corpls

I suppose the draft must be through with in New York & Brooklyn by this time, I wonder how many of my

another fine Stroke for our side, and Gillmore to at Charleston seems to be getting along well, but its my

I suppose Walt thinks strange of my not writing to him, but as you send my letters around, writing to

$5 from Mr Lane had miscarried—this morning when I came down to Major Hapgood's office I found it on my

Mother, what to do about Andrew I hardly know—as it is I feel about as much pity for you as I do for my

cheerfully I would give them, whether they availed any thing for Andrew or not—yet I have long made up my

all do what we can for Andrew—Mother, I think I must try to come home for a month—I have not given up my

Well, dear mother, I must close—I am first rate in health, so much better than a month & two mo's ago—my

ought to be," but attributed the condition to his mother's frugality: "I have not the least doubt in my

Dear boy, death has not blotted out my love for him, the remembrance will be not sad only but sweet.

You will either see me or hear of me in Brooklyn at my mother's, Louisa Whitman, Portland avenue, 4th

Washington September 15 1863 Dear Mother Your letters were very acceptable—one came just as I was putting my

unionists I have met in the hospitals, wounded or sick—one young man I guess I have mentioned to you in my

must have been a giant in health, but now he is weaker, has a cough too)—Mother, can you wonder at my

mother, I have writ quite a letter—it is between 2 & 3 o'clock—I am in Major Hapgood's all alone—from my

at 4 o'clock at a Mr Boyle's —I am going—(hope we shall have something good)—dear Mother, I send you my

see if they would reach you—I was very much disappointed when I went to Armory that evening to find my

Thuey, did you take the envelope you had with my address?

you need not mind ceremony—there is no need of ceremony between dear friends for that I hope we are, my

together again—good by, dear boy, from your true friend— Thuey, I enclose an envelope but will write my

be afraid, my darling comrade—it is little, but it may be some use—Thuey, you write to me just as you

I think in A few days I Can put on my boots & not hurt me much of anny  there is lots of fruits here

of them ten cents noats if you pleas it is verry loansome here to me I hope that I shall soon gow to my

Friend Walt I take my pen in hand to let you now where I am I am at Carlisle barracks in the hospittal

Whitman included this entry among "verbatim extracts from letters home to my mother in Brooklyn, the