[Boston—Thursday, 6 July 1865]
July 6. Longfellow amused Jamie much yesterday with talk about his youth and gave him a description of the first poem he ever wrote called “The Battle of Lovell’s Pond” and of his having it printed in the Portland paper. That same evening he was invited to Judge Mellen’s to meet his son just returned from Harvard. The Judge rose in a stately manner during the evening and said to his son “did you see a poem in this evening’s paper upon the “B. of L’s P.” . . . “No, sir,” said the boy. “Well sir” said his father, “it was a very stiff production . . . Grenville get your own poem on the same subject and I will read it to the company.” The poem was read aloud while the perpetrator of the stiff production sat very still in a corner.
Elihu Vedder was to come to Breakfast but was out of town.
Morning cool and lovely.