St. Louis, Dec 7, 18?

General H. J. Hunt

My dear General,

I send you an extract from a letter just received(?) ? Robert H. Fitzhugh, now of Nebraska, formerly of New York and more recently(?) Iowa. You will remember him well as one of your ???.

"I am in receipt of your letter of Nov 26^th. I have written to Judge(?) ? from the 6^th Iowa Dist: to Wm Walter Phelps of New Jersey ?? W. Wadsworth of New York -- the only members I know. I wrote ?? to Henry "[his eldest brother, now in Iowa]" asking him to ?? look and to press on his attention the justice due Genl Hunt. ?? Genl Logan, but I know a good deal of him, and believing ?? would give fair hearing to such a letter. I wrote him, briefly, the ?? Genl Hunts great service at Gettysburg -- reminded him that ?? efficiency and morale if the artillery of the Army of the Potomac.

?? largely to Hunt, and assured him that the old artillery men of ?? , in a reward bestowed on their old chief, a just recognition(?) Of the service rendered by the artillery arm. Following your ?? I will write to each of my old acquaintances of the artillery ?? can reach, asking them to use all possible influence towards ?? the passage of the proposed bill"

I am much mistaken if the inspiration of ?? to Fitzhugh was not of divine origin -- i.e. promptly ?? angel. Really, he seems to have directed his efforts ??: and his good will is clear. I have ? The ?? that it may come to pass that you can derive ?? knowing where you can look for favoring influences. ? meanwhile, commending you to the most holy keeping ??

I am as always your warm friend,

Thos T. Gantt