Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1840-10-01
Testimony of Gen. Gaines.

Testimony OF Gen. Gaines.
In the St. Louis Era, of September 3, we find a
letter from Gen. L. P. Gaines, addressed to Gov.
Cannon, ex- Governor of the State of Tennessee,
under date of St Louis, Aug Is. After concud-
ing what he had to say to Gov Cannon on the
subject of National Defence, he takes occasion to
give the following testimony, valuable as coming
from an experienced soldier, in relation to the
merits of Gen. Harrison:
"Having disposed of the subject of my
system Of national defence until the meet
ing of the next Congress, will now pro.
coed to notice the efforts made by some of
the party tacficians, snppers and miners, to
misrepresent my views IN respect TO MAJOR
General William Henry Harrison, and,
without attempting to repeat my answers to
numerous questions asked me liz reference
to that distinguished individual. will here
state such facts as, according to the best of
my recollection, will afford an accurate
outline Of what | have said IN my ans
wers.
81 served under the orders of Gen. Var
rison in the Northwestern army during
the principal part of the summer and au-
tumn of the year 1913, during part of
which time ! held the appointment of Ad-
jutant General, which brought me into daily
and often hourly intercourse with him, and
though never with him in battle, | had
many opportunities of Witnessing his vigi-
lance and devotion to The service, and of
admiring the energetic simplicity and sys-
tematic accuracy of his views and the
zeal and promptilude with which he
marched to and from Fort Meigs, through
mnmenlly expecting TO enter a combined
savage aud British ambuscade Of from four
to five thousand red and white savages
from whose cannon. rifle. and tonahawk
General Harrison was often protected and
escorted by fewer men than the Life Guards
who accompanied our distinguished Gen.
Jackson upon his seminole campaign in
the year 1918, while the force opposed TO
him was not half as great Ms that with
which Harrison was menaced. With an
equal knowledge of Jackson and Harrison,
should be unjust to both, and false to
my country, il did no. declare that, upon
the occasions here alluded to, more trying
to the real soldier than any thing the field
OIL DdtuG Otitu IiGSGhiS, Hu'O hC'S'
known Gen. jackson, whose military hon
ors are beyond all dispute to evince more
cheerlulness under the privations of food
and rest, or more intrepidty of purpose in
danger, than Harrison uniformly exhibited
And, although had the deep modification
TO be unable to accompany him from De.
troit in the pursuit of Tecnmseh and Proc
tor, which terminated in the Battle of the
Thames, October 5, 1918, yet was as
sured by Governor Shelby and Commodore
Perry, than whom there never breathed
truer or more chivalric spirits, that Harri-
son proved himself TO be an able General,
without fear aud without reproach,
at is true that, in the early part of the
warm the fall and winter of lSl2-'23-
felt, and expressed freely the apprehen-
sion that Harrison possessed too much ofthe
milk of human kindness, and too much eau
ton in his movements, for an efficient Uni.
ted States Commander-in-Ch l was
strongly inclined to blame him for not sus-
tanning the gallant army headed by our es-
teemed Winchester, defeated at the liver
Raisin and for not controlling and saving
the brave Dudley and his regiment on the
5th Of May, al Fort Meigs. But careful
investigation Of the circumstances that sur
rounded him convinced me tlat his disci-
pine, though mild and paternal, was strict
ly comfortable TO our military law; and that
without great caution, such as put it out Of
his power to reinforce Winchester or TO
save Dudley, the principal part of his dis
possible force would probably have been
sacrificed in these or in other unavaIllng
efforts to bring the war in the Northwest
to a speedy termination by great battle,
when at any time before Perry's victory,
great battle lost by General Harrison would
have exposed to almost certain massacre
hundreds Of families. on hundreds of miles
Of frontier more difficult TO defend than
any other part of the national frontier, not
excepting that Of Florida : a frontier where
from the great depth ofrich soil and muddy
roads, forced march of a few successive
days often resulted in loss of effective