DEAR HUNTER: I am
very solicitous to procure an appointment as Cadet, for my second son Jno.
Harvie, in the military Academy at West Point. My only chance of getting him in
is as one of the appointments by the President. I have written to Mr. Mason on
the subject and desired him to show you my letter. I would not write to you because
I thought about this time you would be annoyed by your election. Since I wrote
I have been to Richmond and learnt (with sincere gratification as you will
believe) that your success was well nigh certain. I have concluded to write to
you and let you understand that I am much interested in procuring this
appointment, hoping that you will interest yourself in it and aid me as far as
you can. I do not know what step to take and hope you will let me know. This
boy has as I am informed by his teachers a considerable talent for Mathematics
which I wish cultivated and this is one among various reasons why I wish him
sent to West Point. It has been suggested to me to state to you (what I should
certainly not have thought of but for the suggestion) that he is a grand nephew
of Maj[o]r Ja[me]s Eggleston who served as Lieu[tenan]t in Lee's Legion during
the Revolutionary war, and was afterwards elected to Congress, from this
District. As you know he was a gallant officer and highly respected as a
citizen and Public man. His Great Grand father Col. Harvie, was also an active
Patriot during the same struggle and a member of the V[irginija Convention in
1775 and 76. He was afterwards in Congress and signed the Articles of
Confederation in 1778, and was then made Register of the Land Office in
V[irgini]a, showing that his services were appreciated. I mention these matters
with reluctance and only because I have been urged to do so. I hope you will
forget I have done so unless they can be made available in favouring this appointment.
I am sure that Holliday, Edmundson, Caskie, Bocock, Strother, Meade and Genl.
Millson will aid me if I know how to use their assistance. I am under the
impression also that I may be able to procure the intervention of Genl. Scott
and Mr. Crittenden on account of others and not myself. My main reliance tho'
is on you and Strother and I shall expect you to work for me as I would under
similar circumstances for you and him. If I can't get him in this year I would
be content to get him in the next. Let me hear from you as soon as may be.
SOURCE: Charles
Henry Ambler, Editor, Annual Report of the American Historical
Association for the Year 1916, in Two Volumes, Vol. II, Correspondence of
Robert M. T. Hunter (1826-1876), p. 134-5
