Nathan Sargent from Alexander Hugh Holmes Stuart, Oct 27, 1855

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Staunton, Va. Oct 27th, 1855

My dear Sir,

I have been absent from home for sometime in attendance on one of my foreign courts; & have therefore been compelled to delay my reply to your letter.

I am satisfied that you are right in regard to the policy which should be pursued by the opponents of the present administration in the next campaign --- the nomination should be made by the Whigs & seconded by the American party --- I did all I could to impress the importance of that policy on the opposition party in Virginia last winter, but without success --- if my counsel had prevailed there would have been no difficulty in defeating Wise but unfortunately the American party was comprised of young ambitious Whigs and dissatisfied democrats who worked to set aside the old leaders of the Whig party & to monopolize all the officers & jurors of the state.  With this view they repudiated & announced, the Whig party (thinking they were strong enough to do without them) & put them on the same