Wednesday April 9th 1862
It has stormed all day, rain, sleet and snow falling incessantly. News today of a great Battle West. Beauregard defeated and Island No 10 taken with all the land Batteries. Our armies everywhere victorious, more prisoners, guns, and munitions than our troops know what to do with. The City is in wild excitement over the news. A Salute of 100 guns ordered by the Sec’y of War. The great “Anaconda” is drawing in his coils tighter and tighter around the rebels. They have behaved most cowardly in every instance where they did not have the advantage in numbers or position. The proud “Southerners” had better strike the word chivalry from their vocabulary. I think they are a race of bombaster cowards and events are proveing it every day. We have had one Bull Run. They have a “Bully Run” every time they meet our troops.
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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.
