TUESDAY 17
This has been a nice cool day until near night when there was a violent rain for an hour or two, flooding the streets. I saw the Comr of patents today. I shall go back into the office again in a short time. There is no particular news. Some people are expecting an attack upon the City. The Rebels have a large army within thirty miles of the City, probably near 200,000 men. They must do something soon. I was at the Pt off two or three hours. I think that Mr Scheopf will go into the army soon. Mr Holt backs him.
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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.
