Feinberg/Whitman
Box 32 Folder 17
Literary File
Prose "The Army of the Potomac" (Jan 16, 1863). New York Times.
Printed copy.
Includes correspondence. P 1 Col 5 near bottom Whit.
& above middle fold Whit.
asked Jesse Merritt
10-30-02454 Grove St.
Cradell, N. J.
November 9, 1952
Dear Jesse,
I have checked on Whitman's contributions to the Times in 
1863.  Four articles have been previously identified, Feb. 16
and 26, Aug. 16, and Oct. 4.  I have three of these and they 
are all signed "Walt Whitman."
But I have also looked at Mr. Sweet's item in the N. Y. P.L.
and I think it very likely that Whitman wrote it.  It was printed
as by a special correspondent to the Times, and Whitman was that.
It was also supposed to be sent from General Hooker's Headquarters,
and that puzzles me a little, for Whitman returned to Washington
around the 4th or 5th of January after visiting the front in Virginia,
but I think it likely that he was actually writing the 
article on the information of men who had just arrived in a Washington
hospital from General Hooker's troops.
My guess is that the "Whit." was simply a tag identification
that Whitman attached to his article so that Mr. Raymond, the
Times editor, would know who sent it, and someone failed to cancel
it before the manuscript was set up.  The article was quite short 
and Whitman probably did not expect to have his name attached to
it.  The other articles are much longer, and hence signed.
I believe the Times files have been pretty well searched for 
Whitman's contributions, though since this was missed, there
might be other items.
Many thanks for calling this to my attention.
Cordially,
[Cay?]Forest H. Sweet
Battle Creek Michigan
Autograph Letters and Documents  Mail P. O. Box 156
American Historical Material Phone 28-7622
Dear Jesse:
You know Whitman, WAB says
he earned money, contributing to N.Y.
newspapers.  I've a N.Y. Times Jan 16
1863 with article signed WHIT.
Do you 
know if he signed so?  If he did, it 
might make some member of BSA a
job going through the files for published
but forgotten Whitman prose.
Yours
FHS
Dear Forest 10-30-52
Will answer later letter
regarding schools soon.
Yours, Jesse
[??]