MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1861.
The day has been warm and soft as May. No fires necessary in the house. The northern soldiers are highly delighted with this kind of winter. Nothing new in the City. The immence Army near the City keep so quiet that we hard[ly] realize that 250,000 Soldiers are within a few miles of us. There is a great deal of practicing with the guns at the Forts. Some days it is a constant Cannonade. I did a little glazeing tonight, then called with Julia at Mr Fenwicks and spent an hour or two. Mr Munson, owner of “Munsons Hill,” was there. He is the Fatherinlaw of Mr Fenwick. Very inteligent man.
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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.