1862 March 26 Hamilton, Mass.

Hamilton, Mass.
March 26, 1862

My dear Mr. Wood
A Hamilton boy, John
Whipple by name, started yesterday
for Washington, with the model of
a gun which he expects will kill
all the rebels, enrich his family,
immortalize himself, and make
Hamilton forever famous. I have
not seen the gun, but I believe
it is said to have obtained the
long longed-for desideratum of
loading at the breach instead of
the muzzle, and seems to me it fires
at both ends and so is muzzle all
over, but I cant swear to that. He

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is armed with several letters of intro-
duction, and has been furnished with
money by people who have faith in
the invention. His family are poorest
of the put poor, though they would
mob me if the knew I said so--
living in an awful hand-to-mouth
way, and not living at all only
burrowing. But these boys are in-
genious, and what they have done
they have done of themselves and are
all the more deserving. this one has
a wife and one or two children. I
never spoke to him or any of them in
my life, but I know all about
them and he has had to struggle--
that is, he must have had to struggle
against awful difficulties and he
will be a stranger in Washington,
and you know how often inventors
are left out in the cold. Now if you
could get at him, and speak a
kind word to him, and say that
I have written to you about him

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and his gun--(he will probably know who I am) it may do
him a world of good--He has letters to Ben. Perley Poore & Henry
Wilson among others--They, especially the former will tell you
of his wereabouts probably. Perhaps you will examine his gun
any way. I do not believe any kindness you show him will
not be thrown away. Understand I dont vouch for him in
any way, for I dont know enough of his character personally. I
his invention is successful, it will be a great thing--if it isnt, your
attention will probably do no harm--I just tell you the facts and
you may act upon them as you think best--People here are sanguine.
I am in the hurry of getting ready to go to
Boston for a few days--so I cant stop to write more now--
I hope you will have some news ready against I get back

Good bye
Yours truly

[though unsigned the letter was written by American writer Mary Abigail Dodge, 1833-1896, who wrote under the pseudonym "Gail Hamilton."