Friday Jan’y 10th 1862
This has been a warm foggy day, streets very mudy. Nothing new in the City worthy of notice. The Burnside Expedition has left Annapolis for Old Point, its destination not yet publicly known. But it is Expected that it will go up some of the Rivers into Virginia. Success attend the gallant General Burnside. I became acquainted with him when he first came on with the 1st R.I. Regt in June last. I have been in the office all day writing Bounty land Patent Deeds. That is my business most of the time in the Land office. Have spent the evening at home. Always find something to do about the house or for the boys if I am not reading or writing letters or something else. Julia is quite unwell tonight from a bad cold. She is taking hot tea to make [her] perspire, hope it is nothing worse than a cold.
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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.
