, 1862-08-07

Letter from Gen. Hunter to the Rev.
stephen H Ting.
We have been favored BY friend With
:opy Of Gen. Hunters reply to the inquiries
If the President Of the National Freedmau's
Association:
HEADQUARTERS DEPT Or 7m souru.l
Rev: Stephen 3: Tyng, President Of the Nsttoua1
Frcedmaa'e Relief Association, n. 7. City:
sIR: have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt Of your communication dated June2, |
1862, expressing to me the approval Of my |
course in regard to the freed Slaves OF this de- |
ociation Of which !ou arc president:
Satisfied Of having attempted, In the abb
eeEce of Instructions, to do my duty In the |
matter according to the best light OF my judg-
nent and a long experience, every assurance
teem is gratifying, and enables me to walt
with more patience for those inevitable days
which are to give policy On the elaYerY ques.
tion to our government
1t is my only fear that the lesson may NOT
be understood and acted upon until read in
Northern family. To attain wisdom we must
suffer; but that wisdom on the slavery QueB-
tion must finally be obtained, is my sustdn-
ing faith.
Our people are not dull Of comprehension
in regard to matters about which free play Is
given to their common sense. When fire Is
Spreading through q block Of houses, they do
not hesitate to batter down an intermediate
house to eaEe the remainder OF the block.
When the plague occupies an infected district
the district is quatantined, and every resource
Of science and industry put forth to rid the
locality Of its presence The soldiers Of health
are by no means ordered to mount guard over
each Rmitten house and see that the vested
Interest Of peEtilence are protracted. *sBreak
open the doors, If they be not opened" Is
The erder on these occasions. "Let in fresh
air and sunlight let purity replace corrap-
tom
But in the presence Of one great evil which
has so long h1ooded over our country the ia
telljgence Of q large portion Of our people
would seem paralyzed and helpless. Their
shadow. It's breath has been the pestilence
of the political atmosphere In which our
statesmen have been nuItured; and never, I
f ar, ugti1 It's beak ia dripping with the best
blood Of the country, and It's talons tangled
in her yita1s, will the free masses Of the loyal
States be fully aroused to the necessity OF
abatiDg the abomination at whatever cost and
by whatever agencies. $500
This is written, not politically, but accord
ing to my profession in the military sense.
Locking forward, there looms up possibility
{op]y too possible) Of peace which shall be-
tage secured to the rebellion. Nothing can
give us permanent pence but successful
prosecution Of the war, with every weapon
ard energy at onr command, to Its logical and
legitimate conclusion. The fomenting cause
Of the rebellion must be abated the axe must
be laid to the root Of the upas tree which has
1a!ned down such bitter fruit upon our coun-
| t1y, before anything like permanent peace
! can be justly hoped.
| Already sec signs in many Influential quar-
| te:s, heretofore opposed TO my views in favor
| ct armfng the blacks. Of change Of senti.
1nent Our recent disasters before Rich la0ad
have served to illuminate many minds.
| To speak Of using the negroes merely for
throwing up Entertainments is a step in the
right direction, though far short of what must
be the end. It has the advantage, however,
Of making the further and final steps neces-
kary; for men working In face Of the enemy
must have arms with which to protect them
selves If suddenly attacked.
| On the whole, there is much reason to
be satisfied with the progress made by public
sentiment, conside1ing how deeply-rooted
eral failure Of the nation to realize at first the
proportions Of the var, and the impunity still
| extended to thoee northern traitors who are
the plunderers Of the government by means Of
fraudulent army ard navy contracts, on the
ore hand, while using every energy Of tongue
tnd pen to excite discomfort with our govern.
mept and 81 mpathY with the more candid and
courageous traitors Of the South who are In
arns against us.
In conclusion, 1t may not be inappropriate
to say that In Transmitting the approval OF the
| National FreedWan's Relief Association OF my
course, you were-doubtless unconsc1ously-
| indertirg views which your Own earnest elo
quence baa no slight share in maturing
Though without the pleasure Of your personal
acquaintance, was, during Q year. member
! Of your congregation, and take this :0pportu
nifty Of gratefnly acknowledging my indebted
nefs to your teachings.
Your letter would have been earlier an
swered, had not pressing duties too fully oe
cntied my time
sI, Believe ne, sir, very truly, your obliged % aui
F. P.s.-None Of the carefully fostered delu
siors by which slavery has sustained itself q
the North, is more absurd than the bugbesr 0
"a general migration ofnegroes to the North,
as necessary sequence OF emancipation. s.
: far is this from being the fact, that although
it is well Known that / give passes North II
all negroes asking them,. not more than
dozen have applied to me for such passes sine
| my arrival here, their local attachments beiu
apparently much stronger than With the whit
race. NY experience leads me to believe tia
the exact rex erse Of the received opinion O
this subject would form the rule, and tha
, nearly, if rot quite all the negroes of tb
North, would migrate SoHth whenever the
auction block. Sincerely, o. Fl.