Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-12-09
THE CONTRITE ADMIRAL.
Porter Weeps Over That WreIched
Letter The ViCe-AdmiraI Loses
Grants Friendship, and Grant
Loses Faith i'm Human NaIurP

Porter WeePs Over That Wretch ed
Letter The Vice-AdmiraI Loses
Grants Friendship, and Grant
Loses Faith i'm Human Nature.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 1S70.-MR
President: My first impulse on reading
the letter published in the New York
World, was TO 60 to you at once aad
pronounce tia fabrication, for as such |
considered it; but, as itpurported to have
been written six years ago and published
by person who once held prominent
position under the Government. l de-
termined to ascertain fully if had ever
indited such letter, before addressing you
on the subject. Neither myself nor my
secretary, who has served with me eight
wears, could call to our recollection any
circumstance of the kind. l could not
conceive that / had uttered SEN
timents l knew ] never felt,
and which are so at variance with those
that have uniformly expressed toward
you. The letter, it appears, was private
one, and vindictive must have been the
heart of the man that could be guilty of
so grave breach of confidence and de-
PRAYED, indeed, must be the character,
who, TO crafty his mischievous instinct,
could make public q confidential letter,
written, perhaps, under great excitement,
and at this distant day not even remem-
3 bered. 1t seems like a poor return for
your uniform confidence and kindness to
me, and l am too glad that l remember
nothing connected with the letter At
about the date of the letter / had passed
through long and fatiguing contest with
Fort Fisher, and my numerous feet was
almost oEerpoTered by the elements. |
saw the coveted prize within my grasp
and then slip from me. For another
n month had to battle with the storms of
winter, anchored on an open coast, with
the responsibility of that large fleet on
my hands, my mind and body hsrassed by
extraordinary fatigue. The whole ma
ton was looking on excited, dread
ing a defeat that might prOlong a
contest that was already sapping its
Vitals. You and others know what
had TO undergo bodily and men
tally. / presume it was while under this
excitement that | wrote the letter which
you say has made you lose your faith in
human nature. / have no recollection of
it any more than l would of other pass
ing circumstances of six years ago.
When several persons have at different
times informed me that letter would be
published in which ] had abused Gen.
Grant, / treated the matter with indiffer-
ence, thinking it impossible that such a
letter could exist. do not write for the
purpose of exonerating myself, for l
would rather be the writer of the letter
than its publisher. The peace of po-
litical parties and society would be
placed in great jeopardy if all the private
letters written within the last six years
were published. Nothing that | have
said will affect your fair fame, and your
many friends would be sadly wanting in
Judgment if they were at all influenced by
the silly civilizations of a few unscrhp u-
lous persons, who, after all, are only re-
ioicing over the most contemplate breach
of confidence / ever heard of. regret
exceedingly the loss Of your friendship,
and do not hesitate 10 disspprOve the sen
timents of which ! suppose I must bear
the odium. They appear in letter of
which have no recollection; they are so
different from the sentiments l always ex-
press towards yourself and the gallant
officers of our army, and are so inconsist-
ent with all my anDcedents, thas
scarcely consider them entitled to a mo-
ment's thought. l have the honor to re-
main, very respectfully, your obcdient
servant, DAVID d. PORTER, Admiral.
To the President
Arrangements sre now being made to
establish q through railroad line from
Tfcksburg to Nashville. Gen. fuckers
road, the Grenada, Houston and Eastern
Rairoad, has consolidated with two 9th
az lines-one from Vicksburg to Grenada,
tffe other from Okolona TO PASSPORT, or
some point on the Tennessee riyer This