(address for 3 weeks) 77 East 15th St.
New York Feb 26th
1865.

My dear Cousins

I hope Gen. Butler's retirement from that post, has not interfered with your work. It was the first thing that I thought of. I hope you will have all the encouragement you need from officers near you. I want to send you $20, whenever and however you say. If you think best I will send it with Pliny, or a check to you. We talked of going to Washington this week to be at the innauguration, but as we did not write in time for rooms we fear to go. Also there is much to keep us here. If we had decided to go, part of our plan was to go also to Norfolk. But I hope now to see you this way this summer. If you come home you must spare for us a fortnight. Our winter has slipped away quickly, and delightfully. We have been glad to find our friends had not forgotten us, and we have had many invitations, and have been out a great deal. Also, we were so fortunate as to find a nice and very comfortable place, even though the city is so full. Full because there are so many Southerners here. It must have been rather unpleasant to them to witness the rejoicings on Washington's birthday, when they added the rejoicing that our flag again floats over Fort Sumter and our Charleston. Flags from our windows, and from tops of houses, from poles, from masts of ships answered the waving of the flags borne out--once more by the Southern breeze. Troops of soldiers, gay happy people, horses with little flags at their heads, children with flags in their hands, filled the streets, and made the city very gay. The sunshine was over all, making it as bright and joyous as it could be. I was very glad to see and feel it all.

The other night I was thinking of the freed people who followed Solomon's army, and I felt as if I must do something for them. I had some very interesting notes which I had written out of Swedish History, and a story connected with the history which Hans Christian Anderson gave to me. I proposed to read this in the large parlor of this house, which the landlady freely offered. The inmates of the house, and others came in the evening of last Monday. I read, then Rev Dr Tyng whom I had asked to come, made a speech, Emily McFige[?] sang very nicely, and then a boy took round Dr Tyng's hat and we collected $100, I have a letter from the Freedmen's National Association thanking me for this. Mr. Frothingham is giving readings at a lady's house for the same object. It was a great pleasure to actually do something besides give. Also it did the people in this house good. Somehow they have imagined that they have done a kind good thing, and they feel better towards the people whom some of them had thought were better off in slavery. There has been a more cordial feeling throughout the house. After the singing we had musicians come in, and get the young people to dance. Our Herbert was here and he is a very nice dancer, and all enjoyed it very much. After I finished my reading a young gentleman came and presented to me a lovely bouquet, and said "It is for you not for the blacks, for I don't think as you do"! I said, "I hope this is not all your contribution." He answered, "No, I gave enough to get one of them a dinner." I said, then you do think as I do that it is well to feed the hungry." He said I don't object to feeding them, but I, don't think of them as you do." I said, "Nobody wants you to marry them!"--I think people who have hardly looked at this thing at all as a matter of justice, have rather an idea that freedom will bring social equality in some way different from what we have in other cases of the laboring people around us. But that in the case of freed people there is to be some compulsion. However when they see how naturally all things will arrange themselves they will be glad to have no longer that bone of contention.

I want to hear from you, I want to know how you are, and how you are doing now, and if all goes as well as when Gen. Butler was there. When you can do let me hear from you.

I was interrupted in my writing and now must say farewell.

Ever your affectionate
Cousin

Rebecca B. Spring