Viewing page 72 of 113

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

[[start page]]
24th.  Christmas Eve. We are missing Will. Father has just come in with a book for Carry Scott's Poetical Works. A box of drawing instruments & some books of Architecture for us.

25th.   The happiest part of the day to me has been sitting at Father's feet & hearing him read "The Lady of the Lake. I enjoyed not only the beautiful poem itself but Father's intense enjoyment of it. It has been a day of pain in spite of all our efforts. I am thinking to night of a Christmass several years ago, the first time Will had money of his own earning when he put 30 or 40 dollars into Mother's hands to buy presents for us.

Sat 27th.    The club meets here to night. Will was of so much assistance to Father on such occasions. Baron Gerolt has just passed through the hall. -- The disasterous affairs of Fredericksburg is not attributed to the tardy arrival of the pontoon bridges sent to Gen. Burnside from Harper's Ferry & Washington preventing him from crossing the river until the enemy had time to collect their troops. A misunderstanding seems to have existed between Gens Burnside & Halleck each thinking the other had given orders about the forwarding the bridges.
[[end page]]
[[start page]]
Dec. 27.
The secretaries are reinstated. The President having refused to accept their resignations. We had a visit from Mr. [[Henmant?]] last evening. He has been absent for four years in the northern part of the continent. Father thinks highly of him.

29th Mon.  The city is in a state of excitement yesterday on account of a raid of Stuarts cavalry at Accotink 12 miles from Alexandria. The enemy was repulsed but succeeded in capturing quite a number of army wagons & ambulances beside 40 prisoners. ---- The wounded Fredericksburg sufferers are coming into the city daily, the hospital inmates are said to number 13,000 Mrs. Smith's dinner to the sick soldiers seems to have passed off well. She was presented on Christmas with a gold watch & diamond ring as a reward for her charitable exertions. The Sec. also received a beautiful gift from his employee of a silver service.  Gen Banks has superseded Gen. Butler as command of the Department of the Gulf. Jef. Davis has issued a proclimation announcing that retaliatory measures will be used against Gen. Butler & his officers for certain acts of theirs said to be in violation of the usuages of war. Gen. Butler's whole career seems to have been anything but conciliatory.

31st.  We received a letter yesterday from Rear Admiral Farragut containing his photograph. He promised it to us before he left Washington. Father has just
[[end page]]