Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft.

Washington July 11^th 1864. Monday.

Yesterday we thought the rebels were at or near Baltimore, today we find them in large force within from four to six miles of this City. Considerable skirmishing has been going on just outside of the line of Fortifications north of the City. But as yet there has been no general engagement. It is expected that there will be an attack upon the City tomorrow. It seems that they abandoned the idea of taking Baltimore and have turned their attention to Washington. But I think they have waited too long and have allowed troops to concentrate here in sufficient numbers within the past three or four days to defeat them in any attempt to take the City. It was reported in the papers this morning that my nephew Lieut Co^l E P Taft was killed on Saturday in the Battle at Monocacy Junction near Frederick, M.D. I wrote his Father today, should have sent a Telegraphic dispatch, but the wires were out. The Rail Road is also out betwen Baltimore and Phil^a so that a letter may be a long time reaching any point far north. I went to the State Department at once after seeing the report to see Mr Seward knowing that his son went to Baltimore yesterday with the intention of reaching his Brother Co^l Seward, who was reported wounded in the same Battle. But the son could not get beyond Baltimore and Mr S. could give me no further information in reference to the report of the Death of Co^l E. P. but thought the report was true. It will be sad intelligence to his family and friends in Lyons. He leaves an amiable wife and three small children. May God “Temper the wind to the shorn lambs” in this sad case. Capt Lyman Rogers died last evening at the Armory Square Hospital. I am soon going to bed but rather expect to be disturbed by the report of Cannon before my usual hour for rising – 6 o’clock. If the rebels make an attack on the Forts at all, I think that it will be by tomorrow morning. It is said today that they are Forty thousand strong now in Maryland and threatening the City. Should they make an attack it will be a bloody fight. If they do not attack tomorrow I think it will be because their object is not so much Washington or Baltimore as to obtain Horses, Cattle, and provisions and then they will attempt to slide off over the Potomac into Virginia and escape. We shall know soon. Should they succeed in taking any of the Forts we may be treated to a few Shells from our own Cannon. The City has been in great excitement all day. I have worked in my office as usual. I never saw such a crowd of people on P.a. Ave as on this afternoon. Excited crowds were listening to some new comer from the northern Forts, or surrounding a soldier or swallowing the most absurd stories from some sober faced wag. Troops were marching up from the River and hurrying through the City to the Forts north. The whole of the 6^th Corps have come up now from the Army of the Potomac and many other troops have arrived. Mr Lincoln and Sec’y Stanton passed in a carriage thinking (perhaps) that it was necessary to show the people that they were not frightened. I mentaly wondered why or how a rebel Army of Thirty or forty thousand could leave Richmond, and get across the Potomac, and be almost knocking at the gates of the City and they know nothing about it, or at least think it only a “raid” of a few hundred Troopers!!