WEDNESDAY 4
Mercury at 24 this morning, the air pure and bracing, in the office as usual all day. Bought some wood and coal this morning, enough I think to last till “New Years.” By that time I think the Potomac will be open or clear of Batterys, but it may be closed with ice. Some indications of a movement over the River. According to the Report of the Sec’y of War, we have 600,000 men now in the field. Mr Seward says “we do not want any more men. The War is nearly over.” Spent an hour with Alex Williams at “Browns.”
______
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.