SATURDAY, JUNE 1
Excitement today, fight at Fairfax C.H. this morning, brilliant dash on part of U.S. dragoons. Fighting also below at “Aquia Creek” betwen War Steamers and rebel batteries, firing heard this evening (before dark) over the River. The Artillery practicing, or a fight, every one now on the “qui vive” to hear news from the armies at the different points, Harpers Ferry, Fort Monroe, &c. Will the rebels stand up and fight and be crushed, or will they withdraw? Some think that there will be no general fight. I think there will be more than one, but I do not fear the result. At the “National” after dinner.
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.