WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1861.
The weather continues delightful but there are today indications of rain. We have heard all day heavy guns. Some in the distance are the rebel guns at Centreville. They are practicing too. Troops have been moveing about the City a good deal today. We are expecting important news from various quarters, and the public mind is considerably agitated just now. Our forces now appear to be nearly ready to Strike at various points, in Missouri, Kentuckey, and at the South. I have been at home all the evening.
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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.