The National tribune., 1883-06-21
A LOVING LETTER
From Father Hamilton, the Kind-Hearted Priest
OF AndersOnYilie.

FROM Father Hamilton, the kind-Hearted Priest
of AndersOnYilie.
1t viii be remembered that at the last En-
campment of the Department OF Maine testi-
monial was voted to Father Hamilton, the
Catholic priest, who minIstered so faithfully to
the wants of Union prisoners at AndersonvilIe,
and that it was prepared by p. T. e. Hamlin, of
Bangor, framed and forwarded by express to
him at Mobile, where he is now stationed.
His letter acknowledging its receipt is as fol-
lows:
CATHEDRAL, MOBILE May d. 1883
DEAR SIR: / owe you an humble apology for not
having acknowledged the receipt of your esteemed
favor ere this. When your letter and the testino-
NAL reached here l was quite sick at the Provi-
denee iniirnary this city kept by the Sisters of
Charity, and though OF the good sisters offered
to write you In my name, yet preferred to wait
Tor a snort time, that Eight personally express
with my own hand my gratitude and high aD8re-
eiation of your great and noble conduct. And a5
the present is the first moment that am able TO
hold my pen, avail myself OF il tGeoffer you and
your nopie comrades my sincere and unfeigned
thanks Tor your kind and considerable attention.
This compliment and memento that the soldiers
of Maine have offered me for the poor services that
was able to extend to the unfortunate prisoners
at Andersonvlie has, am happy to say, produced
q most favorable impression the minds of the
people OF this intensely Southern city, and indeed
all over the entire South They little expected
that gratitude for past ftvors should have n place
In a State so thoroughly Ysnky" as that of
Maine. " Can anything good come out of Nazar-
eth is firmly believed to-day by some of our
people as it was in the time of our blessed Lord
And hence your remembrance of favors that were
done to some of your comrades nearly twenty years
ago IN that den of infamy and torture not only re-
Dukes these people but has tended more than any
thing since the to bring about at least in Ala
Dama, a better feeling of kindness and respect
towards the people OF the North. There Is not
cloud but has It's silver lining let US hope and pray
that AndersonvIiles silver lining may be found in
that charity and forbearance which the North and
South viii mutually cultivate and cherish for each
other.
For my own part can honestly confess that this
was my feeling during the eleven dreary months
that | spent in that miserable place. i asked no
man his creed nationality, politics. saw moth
ing there but despair, suffering, and neglect and
being man myself naturally felt interested in
everything that concerned humanity When the
Catholic asked for my priestiy ministrations he got
them; when the Protestant asked for relief and as
sistance from me as man he got it, even when il
was necessary, as sometimes happened, to give
him my coat from my back my stockings from
my feet This is the only comfort that now have
when look back upon AndersonviIle viz that in
all my time there L treated every man as brother
made by the same God redeemed by Che same
precious blood, and intended for the same glorious
destiny.
You will please. then, convey to your worthy
comrades my and sincere thanks for the
beautiful testimonial of which they have made me
the recipient, and assure them that as often as /
look upon it shall breathe prayer to the good
God for their temporal and eternal welfare.
Yours, IN Christ,
To ELIJAH 81. SHAW, VIZ. JOIN HANILroS.
Commander OF Dept of Maine, G. AR.