The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-08-26
LINCOLN'S GLIDING.
His Gentle Reproof In Reply to Genera
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 1861.
General Hunter was in command Of
tho department Of Kansas ut the time
this particular letter was written. 1t
seeme no considered himself dishonored
by an appointment to the rather OBJ
scure military post, and he wrote to tho
president protesting against it. Lin
coins characteristic reply was as fol-
lows:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, Dec. 81, 1861.
Major General Hunter:
DEAR SIR-Yours OF tho 2od is received, and
am constrained to shy it Ia difficult to answer
so ugly letter in good temper. am, rs you
intimate losing much of tho great confidence
placed In you, not from any net or commits
sion or yours touching tho public service mp to
tho time you were sent to Lcavcnworth, but
from tho flood OF grumbling dispatches and let
ters have seen from you since. knew you
were being ordered to Lcavenworth mt tho
time it was done, ard aver that, with rs ten.
bilitics rs had for my own, It never occurred
TO ne that s-ou were being "humiliatcd, IN.
sul.Cd and disgraccd," nor have I up to this
day heard any intimation that you have boon
wrongcd coming from any one but yourself.
No ono hns blamed you for the rctrocrade
movement from Springfield. nor for the infor-
mntion you gave General Cameron, and this
You could readily understand if It were not
for your unwnrranted assumption TINT tho or
derinB to Lcavenworth must necessarily hnvo
hnnt, Apn no
thought then. and think yet the position us.
signed to you IL rs responsible and us honor
ablc rs TINT assigned to BUELL. know that
General Mcclellan expected moro important
results from it. My impression is that mt the
time you were assigned to the new western
department it had not been determined to re-
place General Sherman in Kentucky, but of
this ] am not certain, because the idcn that q
command i'll kentucky was very desirable and
ono in the farther west undesirable had never
occurred to me. You constantly speak of be-
Ing placed i'll command of only 5000. Now tell
me, Is not this mere impaticnco? Have you
not known all the while that you arc to com
nand four or five times that many?
have been and am sincerely your friend
and If us such dare to mako suggestion
would say you arc adopting tho best possible
way TO ruin yourself. "Act well your part
There all the honor lies" He who does some
thing at the head of one regiment will eclipse
him who does nothing Mt the head of 100 Your
friend rs 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 tho following
words. written by the dissatisfied gen
eral Oh the big yellow envelope in
which the letter had been sent:
1.-The presidents reply to my ugly
Rttor. This lay OH his table month
after it was written, and when finally
sent was by special conveyance, with
tho direction that it was only to be
given to me when was i'll good hu-
NOR. "-NoW York Sun.