Thursday Jan’y 9th 1862
In the office as usual. It rained most of last night. Warm today, very foggy tonight. I have spent the evening at home. The boys read, write, spell & cypher and “Bud” gets a Latin lesson every day. There is a good deal of sickness in the City and many deaths at the Military Hospitals daily. Julia was vaccinated today by Doct Gibbons for Kine pox. The small pox is very prevalent. No War news today. Everything quiet. Congress seems to be doing but little. The Republican Party is split betwen the Abolitionists and the Conservatives. The latter support the measures of Mr Lincoln, which is to save the Union, crush the rebellion, and let Slavery take care of itself.
The Douglass Democrats support Mr Lincolns policy also. He has in fact the strength of the Country with 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.
