The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1897-08-05
LlNCOLN'S GLIDING.
His Gentle Reproof In Reply to General
Hunters Ugly Letter.

His Gentle ReproOf In Reply to General
Hunters Ugly Letter.
Another remarkable evidence of the
great kindliness of heart of Abraham
Lincoln has been brought to light in
the form of long lost letter which the
martyred president wrote to General
Daniel Hunter in 1851
General Hunter was in command of
the department of Kansas at the time
this particular letter was written. 1t
seems he considered himself dishOnored
by an appointment to the rather OBJ
scure military post, and he wrote to the
president protesting against it, Lin
coin s characteristic reply was as fol-
lows:
EXECUTIVE MANsloB,
WAsHISGToN, Dec. 81, 1861. !
Major General Hunter:
DEAR SIR-Yours of the I'D IL received and
am constrained to say it il difficult to
NJ ugly n letter i'll good temper. | am, as you
intimate, losing much Of the great confidence
placed in you not from any act or commits
sion Of yours touching the public service up to
the time you were sent to Leavenworth, but
from the flood Of grhmbling dispatches and let
ters have seen from you since. | knew you
/
time 1t was DONE and aver that. with rs ten
der a regard for your honor and your sensi-
bilities as had for my own, II never occurred
to me that you were being Inundated, in
suited and disgraced " nor have | up TO this
day heard any intimatioi that you have been
wronged coming from any one but yourself.
No one has blamed you for the retrograde
movement from Springfield, nor FOR the infor-
nation you gave General Cameron, and this
you could READILY understand IL 1t were not
for your unwarranted assumption that the
dering to Leavenworth must necessarily have
been done as IA punishment for come fault
thought then, and think yet, the position as-
signed to you IL as responsible and as honor
able a. that assigned 10 Buell. know that
General Mcclellan expected more important
results from it. My impression Ia that at tho
time you were assigned to the new western
department 1T had not been determined to
place General Sherman in Kentucky, but of
this | am not certain, because the idea that q
command in Kentucky very desirable and
one In the farther west undesirable had never
occurred TO me You constantly speak Of be-
ing placed in command Of only 800. Now, tell
me- is not this mere lmpatlencef Have you
not known all the while that yon to com
mand four or five times that manyT
| have been and am sincerely your friend,
and II as such dare To make suggestion
would say you are adopting the best possible
way to ruin yourself Act well your part.
There all the honor lies. He who does some
thing ut the bend Of one regiment will eclipse
him who does nothing at the head of 100. Your
friend ever, A. LINCOLN.
Nothing could have been better cal
culated to allay the feelings of personal
wrong which must have possessed
Hunter at the time. That he thought so
himself is shown by the following
words, written by the dissatisfied gen
eral on the big yellow envelope IN
which the letter had been sent:
THE presidents reply to my ugly
letter This lay on his table a month
after it was written, and when finally
sent was by a special conveyance, with
the direction that it was only to be
given to me when was in a good hu
NOR New York Sun.