Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1855-02-01

character that questions like these are useless.
Truly, are the mighty fallen, and the children
OF their fathers, in great discredit"
LIEUTENANT HUNTERS LETTER TO
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
-Lieutenant G. G. Hunter, who lately returned
from the coast of Brazil, with the United States
ship Bainbridge, and who for so doing has been
dismissed from the navy by the President, has
written the following statement Of his reasons:
Circumstances in high degree involving
the honor of our flag have occurred near the
station to which l have been attached. No
helping hand has been given to our unfortu-
nate countrymen. Exposed to the wrath Of
tyrant they have been driven from Paraguay,
their property has been confscated, and the
dag, SO proud because it waves as banner for
| the oppressed of every land who choose to
| come under its folds, has been, by orders of a
petty tyrant, hauled down and trampled under
| foot.
II could not help our countrymen because l
was not permitted to go there with my COM
| mand. was sent away where difficulties had
not occurred, although the American Consul at
Buenos Ayres expressed his wonder at my
absence from the difficulty, as though my mac
eicu hou uccH voluntary one.
Vessels of war are abroad for the sole pur-
pose Of protecting the lives, property and
| rights of our citizens. When found that my
requests to 60 to Paraguay were refused by
| the Commander-in-chief Of the Brazil squad.
ron; when one month later he had direct and
and authentic information from Lieutenant
Moore, of the navy, of the actual condition of
| affairs in Paraguay, and the means to send me
orders again at hand when / saw that the
fear OF responsibility made the Commander.in-
chief yet decline sending me where vessel of
war was so much needed, / no longer hesitated,
but brought back my command to the United
United States, rather to ingloriously rot in the
mud than ingloriously sail upon the ocean.
"The Commander n-chief supposes that in
declining positive responsibility, none exists;
| far from it, our country demands more of us
than action, when forced upon us. 1t was
under the same supposition that Admiral Byng,
OF the British navy, acted, Should not his fate
be warning to those who seek commands,
and yet wish to shirk responsibility?
1t is an easy matter to idly lie in harbor,
here and there, and at the end Of three years
return with the praise of arduous service
| and it is to such persons who demand "that the
promise should be kept to the earl that write
this statements but the promise with me shall
not be broken to the hope," even though
were upon the instant dismissed from pro.
fession in which | have toiled for thirty years,
| always sacrificing every personal considera-
ton for the honor, the dignity, and the glory
of the service. The man who would calmly
refrain, in command of vessel of war; where
| her ase aoas perverted, j. e. sent where she was
not needed, when great necessity existed for
| her elsewhere, would be happy in meeting such
terms as we're proposed by Chinese com.
| mander to an English one in their recent war
That they bore no enmity to each other, and
that they might have an engagement during a
whole day with much glory to both parties, and
no loss Of life, by dispensing with the use Of
shot and balls, and using blank cartridges
alone
| feel that sending batteries abroad means
something more than idle parade; that it i'm.
plies that they are to be sent to such points as
seem In need of them, and indeed that thew
are ereR to be used, when the honor of the flag
demandsit-the commanding officer to be held,
m the strictest sense, accountable for an unjust
or useless employment of force. Simply to
| shrink to avoid responsibility, is contemplate
| in my eyes, and rather than submit 70 the
| degradation of being forced into this passive
| position, | would throw my commission to the
| dogs, and see if, in the wide world, there was
no honest mode of gaining a subsistence, even
to man who is wanting wholly in the expert.
ence Of human life.
Whatever the navy has Of the affections oil
the American people, is due to those energetic
and gallant men who fought in the war of 1912;
few OF the old heroes yet remain; long may
they live, enjoying the respect and affections
OF their countrymen. They never faltered in
| their duty to their flag, but always reflected
the greatest lustre upon it. In their stead now,
we have often in active service, aged imbecility,
and, it cannot be denied, sometimes youthful
imbeciity-men who have grown up under the
awful fear ofresponsibility-th aged ones have
taught the younger ones to doubt even the
truths of that most famous book, the Arabian
Nights tales. What have we to expect from
the navy, when old fogyism is acting from its
supreme height upon young fogyism?
No doubt there are those who will attribute
this expression of opinion 10 an interested
motive; it does arise from that, but not from a
motive OF self-interest. So near the head as I
am of the list, retired list could not materially
affect my rank, as, in one or two years, would
be promoted from vacancies. But il would not
affect materially my confidence in the efficiency
of the service, and might look, then, with my
brother officers, to possible war with a respec-
| table foreign power without the fear Of prob
able disgrace-for disgraced we certainly would
be-if our adversaries should not be affected
with that same old fogyism which DESTROYS at
once the efficacy of and pride in, naval SER
| vice.
c. G.. HUNTER,
Commanding III s. brig Bainbridpe