The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1840-10-06
urAR CEN. GAINS.

% G,ur columns Of the ST. LOUIS ne"
r,ho al inst. arc occupied with letter rom
't.'.,o,on Gen Gains ofthe u. - army "''
,.,od N Ex-Governor Cannon, OF ien"ess'o'
-L;oev concerning his system Obedience Which, "
.,,oars has been misrep presented. Having usPo'
ao5 or his subject he takes occasion TO c'rr'c'
uou,o ro;sren, nations of his views III Zen iur
.-;,o,. and we ask attention 10 the i0h"wing 'o''
a1 ,,ici, declaration of lis exalted estimate OF
tho man and his services;
orycd under Gen. Harrison in the NORTHWEST
crn army during the principal part OF 'he su'' r
and autumn of the year 1913, during Pai. PAL,
which time [ held the appointment OF A"Jutna on
(;eneral which Brought me into daiIy an" "no
6ou,lv intercourse with him; and though no'o
with him in battle, had many oppor'''ninte' w.
,yi,nessipp his vigilance and Devotion: ~ VIC So
vice. and of admirins the ener5e'lu ,hp 1ocI and
avs,ematic accuracy Of his views, ana l'e Ao , "'
.on,n,;tr,Ic with which no marched 10 an" "o'N
Fort Meigs through the doep swnmps' rom pos "
nost when momenily expecting 10 enter ' , -
cd s,vogo and British ambuscado oi rom iou, w
e. ,hn1ns.nd red and white savages; rom whose
cannon, rifle and tomahawk. Gen. Harrison was
often protected by fewer men, than the ne guans
who accompanied our distinguished zen 1a,a
upon his Seminole campaign In the year icio'
while the force opposed TO him was not nan so
great as that by which Gen. Harrison was nennc'
cd With an equal knowledge OF Gen HARRISON
and Gen Jackson, should be unjust to n"tii, ana
false to nv country If did not declare that, upon
the occasion here alluded 10, more trying 20 Inc re
al soldier than any thing the battle hed o''en pre-
ser,s have never known Gen. Jackson, wnoso
military honors are beyond all dispute, 10 eVinco
mere chez rluness under the privaions OF iooa ana
rest and more in;repidity ct purpose IN uahsei'
than Harrison uniformly exhibited. ANA al'housn
I had The deep modification to be unable 10 ac'o''i
pany him from Detroit in pursuit OF iecumsen anu
Proctor which terminated IN the battIe OF t'e
Thames, October 3, 1918, yet was assured py
Gov. Shelby, and Com Perry, than whom 'ne.e
Ia al
Harrison proved himself 10 be an able General
without fear and without reproach'
It is true that in the early part of the warm
the fall and winter oflSl2-l-i3 iel ana express
cd freely the apprehension, that Cen HARRISON pos
scssed too much of the milk of human kindDess,and
too much caution in his movements FOR an etlclehi
u 5. Commnnder-in- chief. was strongly inc'ihed
20 blame him for not sustaningthe army heaued DY
our esteemed Winchester, defeated at the river In
sin; and for not controlling and saving me brave
Dudley and his regiment on the 9th or may, al
Fort Meigs.-But a careful investigation % t'1 VII
cumstances that surrounded him, convinced III"
that his discipline, though mild and paterhaI, was
strictly conformahe to our military law; al" 'na'
without great caution, snch as put u ont Oh MS
mower to reinforce Winchester or save Dudley,
Tie prneipa part Of hs disposabe force would prob
ably have been sacrificed, in these or other una
vailing eff 70 bring the war in the northwest 10
speedy X gre"' oa, rae, b wne" lost
bv Gen Harrison would have exposed hundreds OF
families TO almost certain massacre, on hundreds
of miles of frontier, not excepting that OF FLORIDA
q frontier where from tho great depth OF rich SOIL
and muddy roads forced march of few success
siv u days often resulted rim loss Of effective
strength nearly equal 10 ,ha, off we'll fought bat
tie.
have often admitted what could not now con-
ceal without fragrant injustice to the sandered pat
riot, that learned in 1871 3 from Gen Harrison the
best lessons ever learned in the art of war against
a savage foe; lessons precisely such as IN 1913
found Gen. jackson zoalously employed inteaching
his mon Understandable war. Compared with all the
living Generals personally known TO me-, l have
no doubt but that Harrison was and is the most
highly qualified for the command of large army;
and consequently the greatest andpes for The Of
fee OF constitutional commander III. chief.