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Correspondence
Letter from Thomas Jefferson Whitman to Walt Whitman, 7 October 1863
Brooklyn
Oct 7th /63
My dear Walt,
The enclosed $10 is from Mr James P. Kirkwood 1 for the use of the Hospital soilders I will mail you another letter with some more money to-morrow
How goes things with you, Walt? What about coming home? I have not written you very lately, I have been so very busy. Mother and the rest are about the same. Andrew does not get better. I fear than Andrew will never get better. He looks very bad rather a painful case. I yesterday wrote you a letter and enclosed some money from myself, after thinking the matter over I destroyed the letter and shall give the money to Andrew, did I not do right
In acknowledging the receipt of money from me please state the amount but not who from as I dont want them to know that I dont send any myself but I honestly think when I possibly can give any thing that I ought to give it to Andrew. All the rest of us are the same as usual Mattie and the babies are very well. the little one is growing finely and is getting to be quite a youngster Hattie is growing up well I often wish you was at home I think you would enjoy her very much and it would be beneficial to her Jess is about the same. He is not very strong, but does not get worse I think. I should like to have one of the old fashioned letters from you, and cannot you send me the letter to go to Davis 2 before the 12th as the steamer goes out then
Did you write to Wm Davis at Worcester, if not wont you do so, 3 and if you have leasure write to Mr Kirkwood sometime if you will 4 I will give you his address Mr Kirkwood is travelling around the eastern states on horseback and is not very well. I think a letter from you would do him good. Let me hear from you. I will write you again to-morrow.
Affectionately Thos. J. Whitman
About the Text
The text presented here is derived from Dennis Berthold and Kenneth Price, eds., Dear Brother Walt: The Letters of Thomas Jefferson Whitman (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1984). For a detailed description of discrepancies between this electronic edition and the print source, see our statement of editorial policy .
The manuscript of this letter, dated October 7, 1863, is held in the Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839-1919, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
For more information on the letters of Thomas Jefferson Whitman, see Dennis Berthold and Kenneth Price's introduction to the print edition.
Notes
1. See Letter from Thomas Jefferson Whitman to Walt Whitman, 16 April 1860. (Back)
2. WW probably did not write this letter to Joseph Davis; he makes no reference to it in either his correspondence or his diary. (Back)
3. See Letter from Thomas Jefferson Whitman to Walt Whitman, 24 September 1863. (Back)
4. There is no record of WW writing Kirkwood at this time. (Back)
Whitman Archive ID
loc.00424