FRIDAY 28
Today the body of Capt Ward of the little Steamer “Freeborn” was brot to the Navy Yd. He was killed on board his Boat by a shot from shore at “Mathies Point.” He was a brave man. We are frequently startled by the booming of Cannon over the River, and the first thought is “the battle has begun.” Then we say, they are only practicing at the guns. Business has been quite dull in the patent office this month. Some dismissals are expected tomorrow. Was on the Ave after dinner, nothing new.
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The three diary manuscript volumes, Washington during the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865, are available online at The Library of Congress.