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Headquarters Military District of Florida,
Lake City Fla. June 28th 1864
General,
I am this day in receipt of your communication of June 16th (No. A. 611) from
which I am led to fear that an erroneous impression was made upon your mind by my
letter of the 17th May to which yours was a reply.
Yielding a most cheerful obedience to your decision in the matter of transferring
me to another command, I only wish at this time to assure you that I did not intend to be
understood as asking the transfer because of the paucity of troops in the District, but on
account of the benefit resulting to the service by the change. Nor would I have made that
my first request had I not conscientiously believed that good would result from its being
granted, and because I thought my abilities to exercise so responsible a command was
overestimated by my superiors. I assure you, General, that I fully appreciate the
importance of the position I now hold. The mental and physical labors which a proper
performance of my duties involves, have already wrought injuries to my health, which
painfully admonish me of the responsibility which rests upon me and of my incapacity
for the task. This however, I could cheerfully submit to, did it not bring with it a
consciousness that the public interests were not being as well subserved as they might be
were another in my place, whose qualifications were better suited to the character of
duties required. I hope I shall be pardoned for diverting your attention for one moment
from the weighty public matters that so constantly press upon you, to a matter so purely
personal to myself: But having no sympathy with those who can at this crisis complain on
account of "inadequate" command, etc. I am unwilling to be subjected to even the
suspicion of harboring such unpatriotic feelings. I do not consider any position
degrading, provided I can render more service in it than elsewhere. My only ambition is
to serve faithfully, efficiently.
I am General
Very Respectfully
Yr. Obt. Svt.,
Patton Anderson
Maj. Genl.
S. Cooper
A.v J. G.
Richmond, Va.
Transcribed by Christopher A. Baker, University of Florida, 2008.
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