The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-08-20
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 a long lost letter which the
martyred president wrote to General
Daniel Hunter in 1861.
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 be wrote to the
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 the Esd is received, and
am constrained TO say it is difficult to answer
so ugly letter in good temper. / am as you
intimate, losing much of the great confidence
l placed in you, not from any act or commits
sion of yours touching the public service up to
the time you We're sent to Leavenworth but
from the flood of g1umbling dispatches and let
ters l have seen from you since l knew you
were being ordered to Leavenworth at the
time it was done, and aver that, with as ten
der a regard for your honor and your sensi-
bilities as l had for my own, it never occurred
to me that you were being Inundated, in
suited and disgraced," nor have up to this
day heard any intimation 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 if it were not
for your unwarranted assumption that the or
dering to LeavenwOrth must necessarily have
been done as a punishment for some fault,
thought then, and think yet, the position as
signed to you is as responsible and as honor
able as that assigned to BUELL. know that
General Mcclellan expected more important
results from it. My impression is that at 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 l am not certain, because the idea that a
command in Kentucky was 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 3,000 Now, tell
me, is not this mere impotence? Have you
not known all the while that you are to com
mand four or five times that many?
have been and am sincerely your friend,
and if 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 at the head Of one regiment will eclipse
him who does nothing at the head of 100 Your
friend as 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:
1.-The presidents reply to my ugly
letter. This lay on his table month
after it was written, and when finally
sent was by special conveyance, with
the direction tkht it was only to be
given to me when 1 was in a good hu-
NOR. New York Sun.