Gibbon, John (1827-1896) to Henry Jackson Hunt
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02382.054 Author/Creator: Gibbon, John (1827-1896) Place Written: Fort Laramie, Wyoming Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 14 December 1884 Pagination: 6 p. : envelope ; 20.1 x 30.1 cm. Order a Copy
Discusses current events, including recent elections. Writes that Hunt may be in a position to aid the army by influencing the Secretary of War to prohibit army appointments made by politicians. Writes "Try to have a rule adopted by which every officer shall have a 'service record' kept in the A.G.O. setting forth every duty he has performed, & the recommendations of the officers under whom he has served." Encourages military advancement by merit. Hopes the new President (Grover Cleveland, to take office in 1885), will make changes in medical programs for veterans. Encourages Hunt to remain at his post in Washington, D.C., hoping for positive future changes for veterans. Recalls Charles Sumner's statement to Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War under President Andrew Johnson, when Stanton refused to leave his post: "Stick!" Expresses sympathy that Hunt's oldest son left for the Colorado frontier, and discusses the Western climate. A newspaper article, apparently glued to page one, discusses the problem in Gibbon's military district of starving Shoshone and Arapahoe tribes. The article encourages donations of food for these tribes, to prevent their killing of ranchers' livestock. A pencil note on verso of the clipping asks: "Could you get this printed in some Washington paper? It might do some good."
Hunt was governor of the Soldiers' Home in Washington, D.C. from 1883 until his death. Gibbon, a Civil War general, continued in the military after the war, serving in the Montana Territory and Pacific Northwest. He commanded Fort Laramie in 1883, and the Department of the Platte in 1884. Robert Todd Lincoln served as Secretary of War 1881-1885.
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