FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 1861.
Rather a cool day but cloudy with indications of rain at night. Shepherd Patrick of Norwalk Ohio called upon me today. I showed him round the office. This Evening was the first Levee of Mr Lincoln at the “White House.” Myself, Brother C R, and Julia went. The crowd was so great in the House that hundreds left without seeing the Prest. It was a perfect jam. Elegant Ladies dresses and Elegant Officers uniforms fared bad in the crowd. Got home about 10 and staid there quite as long as was desirable to us.
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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.
