Mason, Emily Virginia (1815-1909) to Henry Jackson Hunt
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02382.088 Author/Creator: Mason, Emily Virginia (1815-1909) Place Written: Baltimore, Maryland Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 24 April [1871] Pagination: 6 p. : envelope ; 17.8 x 22.5 cm.
Year inferred from content. Mason has received Hunt's account of Robert E. Lee's passage through the pedegral (a lava field), during the Mexican American War. Intends to obtain more information on Lee from McClellan, whom Lee served with in Mexico, and Professor French at West Point. Notes that she was Lee's friend and neighbor in Arlington, Virginia. Hesitates to ask Mary Randolph Custis Lee, R. E. Lee's widow, about his early military career, since these reflections must be painful for her. General Samuel Cooper, could help her, though he and his wife suffer extreme poverty. Has considered asking Cooper's Northern friends for monetary help, but knows this would offend his pride, since he served the South during the Civil War.
Hunt had served as Chief of Artillery for the Army of the Potomac. After the Civil War, he occupied various military posts. In the early 1870s, Hunt served at Fort Adams, Newport, Rhode Island.
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