The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-07-27
coat he said. That ID. Just such letter

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as a father might write to a son. It
is beautiful letter, and, although I
think he was harder on ME than de-
served. will say that love the man
who wrote it,.
Throughout the war Mr.. Lincoln was
beset by his generals to right their
wrongs and crafty their ambitions.
He was quick to see the motives at
the bottom of complaints and pleas,
and when he thought them petty he
bluntly said SO, at the same time re-
minding the applicants that winning
battles, not haggljng for honors. was
soldiers business just them. Thus. in
March, 1868, Rosecrans became die.
turbed because Grant outranked him,
and he wrote Lincoln, asking that his
commission be dated earlier, Lincoln
at once saw through the request and
he replied:
Now. as to your request that your
commission should be dated from De-
cember, 1861. OF course you expected
to gain something by this; but you
should remember that precisely 80
much as you should gain by it others
would lose by it. II the thing you
sought had been exclusively yours. we
would have given it cheerfully: but,
being the right of other men. we hav-
ing merely arbitrary power over it,
the taking it from them and giving
1t to you becomes more delicate mat
ter and more deserving of considera-
ton. Truth to speak, do not appre-
ciate this matter Of rank on paper as
you officers do. The world will not
forget the battle of Stone River, and
it will never care a fig whether you
rank General Grant on paper or he SO
ranks you."
When it happened, as it sometimes
did, that the jealousies between gen.
erals became open conflicts. and Lin
coin was called upon by one or the
other to interfere, he never hesitated
to refuse If he felt that his interference
would complicate matters. Generally
he managed to put into his refusal
word of good sense, which, If it had
been needed, would have saved the
country much disagreeable scandal and
often would have saved the contestant
his reputation. A case to the point oc-
CURED in January, 1868, when McCler-
nand and Halelck were having trouble
and McClernand appeared to Lincoln.
The presidents reply was terse but
sufficient:
IT have too many family controver-
sizes. so to speak, already on my hands
to voluntarily, or so long as can
avoid it, take up another. You are now
doing well-well for the country and
well for yourself much better than you
could possibly do ii engaged in open
war with General Halleck. Allow me,
to beg that. for your sake, for my
sake, and for the countrys sake, you
give your whole attention to the better
work."
HOW LINCOLN WROTE LETTERS.
It would not be difficult to extend
these quotations to great length, for
throughout the war the president show
ed the same patience and good sense in
cases where 1t seemed to him that his
counsels might be useful. He never
spared to those whom he wrote: he
never hesitated to lay bare their offense
and their base motives. but he did 1t
with an insight and q great-heartedness
which softened the unreasoning and
impetuous and for the time. at least
made them better soldiers and wiser
men. Though he. wrote 80 large "a
number of these letters Of counsel. he
never wrote one thoughtlessly. nor. in
deed, II he could help it.
He realized thoroughly the delicacy
Of giving unsought advice, and only
when he felt it his duty did he write.
Even after he had written he often
was long time in sending. Not long
ago the war department secured an adj
mirable letter Of good counsel which
the president wrote In December, 1861,
to General David Hunter. who was dis
satisfied with his place and was mum
dating the war department with what
Mr.. Lincoln called ugly" letters On
the back Of the letter in question Cen
eral Hunter had written: 1.-THE presi-
dents reply to my ugly letter. This
lay on his table month after 1t was
written, and when finally sent was by
q special conveyance. with the direc-
ition that 1t was only to be given to me
when I was In q good humor.''
There Ii IN existence draft of a
letter dated September 25. 1863, and adj
dressed to General A. e. Burnside, in
which Lincoln reviews the daily prom
ises that the general had been making
to move to the aid Of Rosecrans. then
shut up In Chattanooga. and his steady
move 1.-THE contrary way" When the
president wrote the document he evil
IDENTIFY felt that Burnside's own reports
were the severest witnesses against
him. for IN his opening sentence he de-
clared that Burnside's conduct made
him doubt whether he was awake or
dreaming. Yet. justified as he un-
gdoubtedly felt he was when he wrote
the letter. he never sent It. He held 1t.
hoping ~ he always did that some
thing would happen that would make it
unnecessary. The events Of the next
few weeks outlawed this particular doc