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Dear Walt I am going to try and write you a few lines this morning, but you must overlook my poor composition

also my writing, for I am very weak and my mind is not as it was before I was sun stroke .

My Sister and also my friends are very anxious to see and to read your Leaves of Grass and I hope they

able to be proped up in bed and able to write to my true friend and comrade.

My Sister Mary says when I go back to war she shall write to you.

My dear sir, I have been much interested in a letter from you to Mr.

Of the enclosed check, ten dollars of the amount is contributed by my sister, Mrs. G.W.

Briggs of Salem, to whom I read your letter, & ten dollars by my friend Edward Atkinson.

I hope you will continue in your good work, as I am sure from your letter, & from what my friend, Mr.

Brooklyn 22nd Sept. 1863 Dear brother Walt, The enclosed $25 is from my old friend Joseph P.

I have written him in some of my letters what you were doing, with short extracts from your letters.

The whole thing in my opinion is one of the biggest of humbugs.

Sims, a captain in George Washington Whitman's Fifty-first New York Volunteer Regiment, had been the

letter to his mother on December 16, 1862: "I have come out safe and sound, although I had the side of my

jaw slightly scraped with a peice of shell which burst at my feet."

stingey we wouldent know what to doo but i got the same old retort that it was me that was stingey with my

& was verry glad to get them & always shall be I am well the toe is getting along verry fast I ware my

boots A little everry day I think in A few days I shall be able to join my regiment I hope so anyway

Washington for women I think friend walt I should like to Come & see you verry much I hope that I shall join my

by the window in Major Hapgood's office—all the Potomac & Maryland & Virginia hills in sight—writing my

shall send him some papers to-day—I send papers quite often—(why hasn't Jeff sent me the Union with my

are well—I have rec'd another letter from Mrs Price, she has not good health, I am sorry for her from my

Mary's mother-in-law, wrote to Whitman from Farmingdale, Long Island, on September 25: "I have raiced my

children in age yet—so good, so sweet, so brave, so decorous, I could not feel them nearer to me if my

Russell, which came to us through my sister Miss Stevenson.

is pleasant to know where one has excited an interest, & in asking you to acknowledge its receipt, my

My direction is to care of Charles P. Curtis, Boston. With regard, I am, Margaret S.

We are soon to see a thing accomplished here which I have often exercised my mind about, namely, the

Not at all, to my eye.

many respects of our constructive nation and age, and even so poetical, that I have even balanced in my

When a train comes to a bad spot in the road this Captain reins in his horse and stands there till they

I find this everywhere, and very pleasing to my sight.

Sq Hospital, Sunday evening Oct 4 Dear Madam, Your letter reached me this forenoon with the $30 for my

the midst of those it was sent to aid—& best by a sample of actual hospital life on the spot, & of my

in the way of thanks—is a country boy—always smiles & brightens much when I appear—looks straight in my

face & never at what I may have in my hand for him—I mention him for a specimen as he is within reach

of my hand & I can see that his eyes have been steadily fixed on me from his cot ever since I began

After Whitman gave this letter to Horace Traubel on July 27, 1888, he observed: "My main motive would

with surprises—with fancy turns of speech—with unusual, unaccustomed words—but to say them—to shoot my

My dear sir, I was very glad to hear of the receipt of the check I sent you & to know that it had already

system, but without effect— I have received twenty dollars here to be forwarded to you, ($10 cash from my

My dear sir, Having an opportunity to send by Miss Lowe the $20. From H. Lee, & B.

opinion that the 51st is still in Kentucky at or near where George last wrote, but of course that is only my

such a misfortune to have such sickness, & always do any thing for him that you can in reason—Mat, my

little room 394 L st., get my own breakfast there, had good tea this morning, & some nice biscuit, (

They are truly friends to me—I still get my dinner at a restaurant usually.

mind again before me— Mother, did you see my letter in the N Y Times of Sunday Oct 4?

My sister, Mrs Charles P.

I inclose you to-day $30, the result of an application to my friends, the Misses Wigglesworth.

Brooklyn Oct 7th /63 My dear Walt, The enclosed $10 is from Mr James P.

Brooklyn Oct. 8th/63 My dear Walt I yesterday wrote you enclosing the $10 from Mr Kirkwood for the use

Martin "1 "  Henry Carlow In my yesterdays letter I said something about the acknowledgement of the moneys

morning mother is not quite so well,—a bad cold—yesterday Jess was sick all day—there is no doubt Walt in my

Dear comrade, you must be assured that my heart is much with you in New York, & with my other dear friends

Dear comrade, I still live here as a hospital missionary after my own style, & on my own hook—I go every

I have cut my beard short, & hair ditto: (all my acquaintances are in anger & despair & go about wringing

My face is all tanned & red.

Then around my majestic brow, around my well-brimmed felt hat—a black & gold cord with acorns.

New York, I had to be in Washington: I was never in the one place but I was restless for the other: my

stopping at one of the hospitals last night Miss Lowe just from Boston came to me & handed the letters—My

Don't mind my not answering them promptly, for you know what a wretch I am about such things.

girls, & about Mr Arnold —of course you won't forget Arthur, & always when you write to him send him my

But, my darling, it is a dreadful thing—you dont know these wounds, sicknesses &c—the sad condition in

evenings altogether at the hospitals—my day, often.

I like Washington very well (did you see my last letter in N Y Times of Oct 4, Sunday?)

Curtis, and the other friends, I will briefly say, tells daily & nightly & shall tell to the best of my

power, upon my dear boys here, in hospital.

Good by, my friend. Walt Whitman to James Redpath, 12 October 1863

After this sentence Whitman deleted the following: "Do you want to print my new little volume of poetry

so much want to see you, even if only for a couple of weeks—for I feel I must return here & continue my

I wonder why he didn't send me the Union with my letter in. I am disappointed at not getting it.

I sent Han [a] N Y Times with my last letter, & one to George too.

I thought I was cooler & more used to it, but the sight of some of them brought tears into my eyes—Mother

out with a long rough journey, all dirty & torn, & many pale as ashes, & all bloody—I distributed all my

is what they have eaten with Mat and I"; and again on October 8, 1863: "There is no doubt, Walt, in my

had time to rite to you untill now & I have not got much time now the toe is most all healed up but my

foot is swelled so that I can not get my boot on it swelled from walking from the depot out her but

Whitman, Dear Friend I received your kind and ever welcome letter from you and glad to hear that my brother

V. but dont put on the Brigade, Division, or Corps, as I think perhaps the reason of my not hearing from

The whole thing in my opinion is one of the biggest of humbugs.

I do not know but you think me rather neglectful in my writing to you but if you knew the pain that I

have in my head, the whole of the time you would not think hard of me.

Walt—I am sorry that I am as feeble, and that my friends and likewise my Doctor think that I never shall

lying in my pathway and I can not seem to remove them nor hide them from my mind, I have tried to look

I feel she has saved me, in the worst of my sickness she hardly left my room how often have I thought

I send George papers now & then—Mother, one of your letters contains part of my letter to the Union,

It seems to be mostly as I intended it, barring a few slight misprints—was my last name signed at the

or think too deeply—So I go giving you all good advice— O Mother, I must tell you how I get along in my

of you & Hat right away)—one thing is I am quite by myself, there is no passage up there except to my

room, & right off against my side of the house is a great old yard with grass & some trees back, & the

Sims, a captain in George Washington Whitman's Fifty-first New York Volunteer Regiment, had been the

letter to his mother on December 16, 1862: "I have come out safe and sound, although I had the side of my

jaw slightly scraped with a peice of shell which burst at my feet."

On September 22, 1863, George informed Jeff that Captain Sims was in Brooklyn to recruit for the regiment

Jeff explained the situation on October 22, 1863: "It is not like you think in regard to cutting down my

Jim is dissatisfied unless I write pretty often, whether there is any thing to write about or not—My

to heal so that he can sit up, & then gradually move about, & so in due time be able to travel— So, my

friend, farewell for present, & I pray that God may be with you, & though we are strangers I send my

wonder how she is i think so much about her some nights i cant sleep if she wou ld only write to me) my

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

Dear friend, My idea is a book of the time, worthy the time—something considerably beyond mere hospital

interest I surely think—in some respects somewhat a combination in handling of the Old French Memoires, & my

own personality (things seen through my eyes, & what my vision brings)—a book full enough of mosaic,

I have many hospital incidents, [that] will take with the general reader—I ventilate my general democracy

know the people generally now are too (far more than they know,) & would readily absorb & understand my

could easily publish a small Book, but the one you propose...implies an expenditure that may be beyond my

My own opinion is that he will not recover, that he cannot last long.

do Andrew a great deal of good  In the letter that Mother received yesterday from you, you speak abt my

worries you without doing any good, and another thing it is not like you think in regard to cutting down my

Give yourself no thought abt my worring. Something that I have got entirely past.

very thankful to you for the kindness you have shown and Still Show to our poor boy i cant express My

from Culpeper William Did not think of asking what it would cost to Send him on to his frinds the captain

a Coffin they buryed him as Decently as they could by pining him up in a thick woolen blanket the captain

monday Monday evening My dear walt i was sorry my being so late last week with my letter caused you any

uneasiness if any thing was the matter with me more than common you would be advised of it my dear walter

to venture it rained here last night very hard) i am about as usual i have had rather bad pains in my

its fronting the north or south) not one word have i had from Jeff or matt or han or ma ry you are 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.

soldier boys should ever call upon you, (as they are often anxious to have my address in Brooklyn,)

I was with him a good deal, & the old man & his wife have written me, & asked me my address in Brooklyn

They will make you cry—There is nothing new with my hospital doings—I was there yesterday afternoon &

, & the house smells clean, & the room too—my old room they just left every thing lay where it was, &

singers are so good—when I come home we'll all try to go — Mother, I am very well—have some cold in my

Since I last wrote you I have continued my hospital visitations daily or nightly without intermission

My dear friend, if you should be able to go, or if not able yourself give this to your sister or some

friend who will go—it may be that my dear boy & comrade is not so very bad, but I fear he is.

I send my thanks & love to yourself, your sister, husband, & the sisters Wigglesworth.

the one you propose—to stereotype, advertise and push it—implies an expenditure that may be beyond my

Dear Father I now take the plesure of fulfilling my promace a writing to you hoping those few lines will

find you well 1 am getting better fast i am at home now i got home after noon my famly is well i left

long to see yo and have a long talk with yo It rains here this morning and to day is lection one of my

Dear Walter As I am not a going out to day I thought that my time could not be better imployed than by

Sawyer to day he is well. he sayes that they have bin on the move so that he could not answer my letter

thing about your letter—he is a going to try to get a pass to come up hear this winter— Conserning my

self I am about old fassion. my leg mends slowly (about as it was when you wer hear) I have bin out

Dear friend Walt Not knowing what they were agoing to do with me until thursday last is my excuse for

Thursday I expected my dischar[g]e so that I could start Friday but on going to the office I found that

knew that they had gone up and when the truth was known he knew nothing about it thursday afternoon my

papers wer sent in to the ward for me to go before Bliss he examined me and told me I could have my

Sutler's and back (Walt it is useless for me to try to tell you how much i have missed you at night when my

But, my dear comrades, I will now tell you something about my own folks—home here there is quite a lot

of us—my father is not living—my dear mother is very well indeed for her age, which is 67—she is cheerful

Often they hit each other, then there is a time— My loving comrades, I am scribbling all this in my room

in my mother's house.

, & I pray God to bless you, my darling boys, & I send you all my love, & I hope it will be so ordered

My relations with the boys there in Washington had fatherly, motherly, brotherly intimations—touched

I don't seem to be able to stand it in the present condition of my body'" (3:110–111).

I have not lately made any requests of my friends for more thinking you perhaps were well supplied for

& did you remember to give her my love? how did little Hattie look? had she grown much?

Don't forget the three things you were to bring for my especial benefit.

Ellen O'Connor related in a letter on November 24, 1863, that the Count had said to her recently: "My

I do not know that I told you that both of my parents were dead but it is true and now Walt you will

be a second Father to me wont you, for my love for you is hardly less than my love for my natural parent

I think my papers will be in tomorrow certain.

I shall start as soon as my papers come.

My love to you and now Dear Father good by for the present.

I have neglected it so long I suppose you thought I had quit forgotten you, but I can asure you my Dear

your will I should be very happy to keep up a coraspandenc Now I will try and give you an account of my

morning changed cars there fore Pittsburg arrived there about noon I went to the Soldiers home and got my

about two months before that so in the evening I took the cars again and the next morning I arrived at my

estimated 15,000 Majority for the Union that is the home vote the copperheads are completely played out My

Now I suppose that you would like to know how I enjoy my self: Well I go out most every day but I do

Hospital at Georgetown, so we aint got so many shoulder strapes hear, but we have got enough yet for my

My leg is rather worse this morning & the Doctor sayes that I must stay in bed to day, so I suppose that

Well I think my letter is getting full long as I must begin to think about closing.

scaffold all up—I have not bin up to the Capitol for some time, but probily I will go up on Monday if my

I have told my mother & sister about you all. I send my love to William.

Tell Charles Eldridge too I send him my love.

Nelly, I am writing this from my room at my mother's house.

My sister Martha is untiring, feeding & nursing him.

My brother Jeff is well—he is a noble young man & one to love.

Brooklyn Nov 17, 1863 Dear friend I suppose Nelly has received a letter from me posting you up of my

last night, Trovatore —very, very good singing & acting— I feel to devote myself more to the work of my

I shall range along the high plateau of my life & capacity for a few years now, & then swiftly descend

, & the objects, &c of most, seem to me very flippant & shallow somehow since I returned this time— My

Dear comrade, I send you my love, & to William & Nelly, & remember me to Major [Hapgood] — Walt Walt

Dear brother, I am here in Brooklyn, New York, spending a few weeks home at my mother's.

I am well & fat, eat my rations regular, & weigh about 200—so you see I am not very delicate.

But the greatest patriot in the family is my old mother.

My room is 456 Sixth street.

But my letters are still addrest care of Major Hapgood, paymaster U S A, Washington D C.

noise & laughing & drinking, of a dozen young men, & I among them, I would see your face before me in my

it would be if I could leave all the fun & noise & the crowd & be with you—I don't wish to disparage my

there is something that takes down all artificial accomplishments, & that is a manly & loving soul—My

Well, it is now past midnight, pretty well on to 1 o'clock, & my sheet is most written out—so, my dear

dear loving comrade, & the blessing of God on you by night & day, my darling boy.

I do not know that I told you that both of my parents were dead but it is true and now, Walt, you will

be a second Father to me won't you. for my love for you is hardly less than my love for my natural parent

say much more of what the world calls educated & polished, & brilliant in conversation, &c, than you, my