Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-02-03

he
lcht by the Gignfed aud magnanmous act OF the IRE
in causing it be placed on file IN tie depart
ment of War as an official document ana WHICH ,"''
part of these proceedings Conduct SO extraordinary
and nexpcable on the part oil 3eSP, the
reference the character OF SAID et'er, shoaio /" '
opinion Of The Court. be investigated
But Sir tbe Presden, not 10 be propaIed ~ the
sotI and lo,rern, words OF the Court, and flung back
the proceedings in lis face. This is his language oil re-
buke:
ver,s on The letter addressed by Major Gencrnl esup
10 F. p Blair Esq, bearing date 2oh June, IHoo, auu
I" which presents the same Us SUBJECT G'"a;'us w
vesiigaton appears TO tie PRESIDENT TO tr WHOLLY u'
authorized by the order constituting the Court, Nc
Now Sir venture 10 say, that no military man wIiI
pronounce the conduct Of the Court 10 have been IrIc'
aular or even unusual Il is not only the right, bat The
du,y such tribunal to call Executive attention to any
matter seriously citing the interests OF the service
which may be disclosed in the course OF liz examination
mot for the purpose OF final condemnation, but as s'g
costing fit subject Of inquiry. Yet, Sir, thIs I"Hrt
TO take back the record and EHPrscE The OBJ
noxous paragraph In this INITIATED shape, tiis pro-
cerdings were approved by tie present Executive.
Sir in this sad retrospect lind sufficient clne 10
that prodga waste of treasure and human me- u" hc
have long gaZed, with grief and horror ahu su'
In it see the train Of widows and rlnns anu NE VIC
Tins of disease contracted in that PesiIrInus climate,
who are TO come up here, alter year. 20 swell '
list of your pensioners. Can any one DOUBT 'ns
ever opinion he mny form Of the process by wch oeh
Scott Suppanted: ltr'neinhtr lhit me "H'"..
took his place assumed the command pledged oy hs IL"
Ter TO the Globe and By The recall Of Scott IN
TO pursue plan exactly the reverse ct that "hich MS
predecessor had maured Z" Elember too II Is now na
nitted that after eighteen months. au'ihg "''1u wv
treasury has been poured cut 10 exhaustion, and Tue
blood Of our brst and hravcst cuunrynen has
every stream in Flnda. il is admitted that Tue very
plan devised by Scott has been al length adopted les
Sir, that very plan which! was the theme OF sarcasm au
derision in The liter to The Globe
oil l,si In II
erdav 10 the eloquent speech of the Honorable Deesste
from Florida oar. Dnwning) But, sir, when ne loia
US that if the Cherokccs had not been employed the
war would. in all probability, have long since oeeh over
when lie told that the humanity and iHFOrarahce o
General Jcsnp had he believed, cost us millions, dia
we not see that he lost sight, in the midst o deaiS' Of
the great first which has Kept Ills war So ""s
open?
General Scott WILL day, be eXtorIed from The slce
of this House We owe il 10 him; hut we owe II sli
more to The country. What officer can leel secure ID
the face Of that great example OF triumphant hlGsuce
Who can Mace before himself the anticipation OF csla
h!ishing higher claims upon the gratitude OF The country
than General Scott: Yet lie was sacrificed Ills past
services went for nothing Sir, you may ruse new re-
gincnts md issue commissions, but you cannot,
without such rtnnemsut, restore the high moral Tone
which BELTS The post"ra ofle national honor iondy
wish that the highest aud the lowest III the country ser
might he taught 10 regard this House as The jealous
guardian of his rights, against caprice, or avofS or
that in running up the national flag, at the very mo-
menl orr daily lahos commence we do not go through
and idle form On whatever distant service nc may DC
seut-wheller urging his way amidst tumbng lceOerSs,
towards the pole or anng in the unwhoesone heats oil
Fiorda-l would enable him, he looks mp TO that flag,
to gather hope and strength II should iupa1l 10 nm
proud feeling Of confidence and security lie shouiu
know that The same emblem of majesty ana justice
nas the Councils OF the Na!lon; ana thAt IN hs
untarn!shed lusrc have all common interest anu
a common sympathy. Then, Sir, aud not before VIII
you In army navy worthy TO sustain ana 10 per-
pcluala The glory of former days
Mr.. Underwood was unwilling to be driven INTO q
hasv passage of this appropriation without due examI-
nation for he had already voted cheeriuy tor upwards
of ten millions put an end 10 the Florida war lhere
was another reason Al The commencement OF The ses-
sion a resolution introduced by him had been adopted,
calling upon the Secretary OF War Tor Information IN
relation the proceedings there but no response ha
vet come in lie would not say that the withholding 6t
this information would induce him 10 withhold The mo-
nry On the contrary, he disposed TO give The mo-
ney and should continue to do So Tor the present al eas
on the principle that when his house on fire he would
irp aud first put it out, and inquire into Tie cause OF Inc
cnfnrraliun afterwards. Mr. u deprecated the course
of these parte trials ana condemnation OF Generals
Scott aud Jesnp. Take the of the capture oil Oce.
OLA for which the latter had been ccnsnrcd had hey all
the facts before lhens They had not but the letter Of
General Jesup justified the act, for appeared that Gee
ola had come in with peridiaus intention, anu MT. U.
afdured parallel instances IN the early wars OF t'e
West known 10 all Tie objected, however, to such de.
ouncatinns on either side before all the facts were as
crrlaued With reference Gen. JesuP, he had before
read To the House letter from that oincer, IN winch ne
stated That liz Gen. wished most fuli ana ample
inquiry into all his transactins both in the Creek ana
Seminole campaigns. AS 10 the letter o T. L. BiaiT H'
held that it haC been improperly used; but me writer was
M, responsible for that, for lie had marked 1t private
and did address il directly 10 the President OF te w.
States In, even if il had been addressed TO the Pres
dent drecllY Mr. IT, held that the second III command
Ia; l,,tr
he believed To be- the truth 10 The cGmmander-in.cei
Take the case Of Gen. Hull: surprising him TO have
been guilty If intriguing with the enemy and mat h's
second in command knew it, wOnld any one have cen
surrd the latter for making the acl known tn the then
commander inchic the President of the U. States:-
Again il should be remembered that Gen Jesnp had 70,
utarily rcractcd all he had sld IN relation To General
Scott MIR IT, did not, however believe that Tie dcIsy
of this war The fault either of Generals or the
army for he believed they had all done the best they
could. The fault lay in sending too large ioce len or
twelve thousand men. maSSe, and tie remedy, ne
thought, would be 10 pursue The same course they dId
in Kentucky many years ago: act by detail, IN small
parties, protected by forts. &c
Mr. Gascock said that in consequence of the latitude
which this debne had taken, he felt ii to be duty
which lac owed himself, well rs 10 the section OF
the crunry which he in part represented, TO make some
remarks in reply To gentlemen who had preceded hini
tins question He exceedingly regretted The cours"
which This discussion lad taken; but nasmuch as this
course Of debate had ensucd he wished 10 be permitted
to make some remarks in reply Atthe commencement
of the present debate charges serious in their character
haI been made against the General Government as TO
the policy it had pursued towards those tribes; but he
was con WINGED il the gentleman WIN made the charges
had given the subject tina, attention which he gene
rally gives questions which he investigates, he would
to the conclusion that some OF The remarks
which he made were moi justified by the facts in re.
aiion To the treaty made with The Seminole indians
One charge Of the gentleman from Virginia, who had
but followed up the remarks Of the gentleman from
Vermont former occasion, was that the treaty
with those Indians fraudulent treaty. lie (Nr.
Gascock) well recoilccted the time when that charge
was fist made BY the gentleman from Vermont and he
also well recollected the bold and manly reply which
was made to it by the then delegate from Florida on this
floor The general charge relation TO the treaty not
being valid was predica,ed the ground that the time
for carrying it into effect had expired before it was
ratified by our Government He would say 10 gentle.
Il l. l. -,