Letters of Rev. John W. Alvord

Washington Oct. 21, 1861 Rev Warren

You wonder why I stay so long._ The fact is you cannot do any thing here in Washington very fast, & there are many strings to pull, & some to unpull. I have not even used my letters of introduction except to Gen'l M^cClellan—as I want to get every thing fixed & in a nutshell so that when applied to, Gov't will not hesitate to approve at once & cordially endorse—The National Convention of Young Men seems to hang fire—we do not know here what is the reason. The central com, at Phil., are to call it but we dont yet hear a word from them. Great bodies move slow, & it may be that by some jealousies the thing will be delayed until golden opportunities are past — perhaps fail altogether. We hope not. If however this should be the case, we must do the next best thing which is to press our work right on in the same channels such as in some [form endeavour] I am now opening for them. —The young men here stand ready to cooperate with us (in that case) & the work has already assumed so large a form that we can get a Commission of most respectable character from the materials we already have in hand.— I dont say this to discourage you from pushing on the National Young Men (as previously advised) but to show you how this thing must go any how. I am now just shaping the mode of distribution here with my own agency in connection with Ballantyne & the young men just as I think it will have to go if the larger body take hold of it, ie Ballantyne keeping the Depot

[sideways starting on left] P.S. Send on 2000 Hy. Bks. immediately Send your old almanacks— they will go and more of your un cov^d narration & memoir. Have read your letter to many chaplains—they will help. Dennison will give you a scene at Hatteras for frontispice, & [illegible] a [illegible] breaking scene— your paper will have to be largerHurry up the German tracts as NYk folks will have the ad -vantage of us.

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