Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1846-09-10
EXTRACT FROM
q en-. Gaines efence.

Louisiana and Mississippi, to raise regi
ments of mounted gun men. With thi
formidable description of force, Judg,
Sanders had served with much distinction
when youth, as Tennessee Volunteer
against the Creek Nation, and in tn,
defence of New Orleans, under Jackson
in 1914 and 1915. 1t was obvious tt
me. and | had no doubt but it would be
equally obvious to the military advisers
OF the President from the Southern States
that the most efficient description of force
Tor the Immediate service TO Mexico on
the approach of summer. would be the
acclimated men and acclimated horses to
be found only in the South Western and
Southern States. made my arrangements
for inviting into the service, a force suf-
fcient, not only 10 succour Gen. Taylor
if able, as trusted he would be, to main
tain his position until the middle of MAY,
(Which was doubtfuD but also to enable
him to profit by any victory he might
achieve, by promptly following up the
blow, or, if overpowered-and 1t was my
solemn duty to keep in view the possibl-
ity of that sad result deemed il proper
in time TO provide force and supplies
sufficient to hold the enemy in check,
until fifty thousand men, with correspond.
ing means could be concentrated upon
the Rio Grande, to maintain our command
of that frontier. As, in the event of the
defeat of General Taylor's army-the
best Instructed troops in America, if no!
in Europe-not less than fifty thousand,
TO seventy-fve thousand mon, would have
| been required to repair the damages
that must have resulted from such dis
aster. The moral effect of such disas.
ter would have been irreparable during
the present century. These considera-
lions, added to the deep and irresistible
impression upon my mind, Expressed to
Governor Johnson, General Felix Hous
tin. General De Buys, and Col Grymes,
and hundreds of other men Of experience
and talent that Mexico could not have
been so blind as TO commence hostilities
without some assurance Of help from her
European friends-and, consequently,
that we might count upon finding the sea
ports of Texas very soon placed under a
strict Blockade, and our commerce at sea,
and the ports Of Louisiana, and eastward
thereof, at least to Key West, menaced
by war steamers with Paixhan guns.
With these impressions felt myself
as much in honor and in duty bound to
obtain all the Mounted Gun Men, the
Artillery, Infantry. and Riflemen which
invited into the service of the United
States, as | ever did in the war of 1914
ito prepare for action
With these impressions, took meas.
ures 10 place at Forts Jackson, ST Philip,
and other unprotected Forts and Barracks,
Volunteer Battalion of Artillery, with
some companies of lnfantry-not Corps
of Arlifcers," as stated in the list of i'm
putaiions arrayed against me-but in
selecting Volunteers for Garrison service
think ii is the duty of every officer al.
ways TO give a decided preference to such
mechanics, (blacksmiths and carpenters
as may be advantageously employed in
the repair or construction Of Fortifcations
or .Chevaux de frize, and Floating Bat
teries, 10 cooperate with our Forts in
the protection of our great sea ports
WITHOUT WHICH THEY CANNOT BE DEFEND.
ED. Even now at war with neighbour
ing power. will take leave here to ask
whether it would not be prudent and
proper to hold ourselves ready to lock
up the navigation Of the Mississippi
river and some other nle,s which found
exposed and took measures to secure
them. But these last mentioned compa
MES, like most of the Mounted Gun Men
which | had invited into service never
arrived at the points of their destination,
nor did they cost the United States dol
lar, though many Of the meritorious ci,i-
zens who made arrangements for raisin g
| the valuable corps, expended, as am
assured, hundreds of dollars in their laud :
able efforts to anticipate the acquisitions
which | had perhaps too confidently
assured them | had reason to expect
Their fervent desire to render prompt and
essential service was signally checked. if
not chilled, by the order of the Secretary
of War. dated the 18Th, received on the
26th Of May, 1916, from Adjutant Gen.
Jones, requiring me "tO countermand my
call for several Regiments of Mounted
Gun Men''-and whyf the General an
wers very explicilly-"as this re9uisition
will interfere with the arrangements made
by the War Department relative to the
quota of Volunteers to be called into the
service of the General Government from
the several States under the new law"
But he adds, "The Volunteer force called
into the service from Louisiana. Alabama,
&C., on your authority, and which you
have previously reported, am Instructed
to say, meets the approval Of the Depart
ment."
Here is an order to countermand nv
call for Mounted Gun Men, not because
the cali was made without any specific
authority from the President of the United
States-not because the emergency under
which the call was made did not indicate
great peril to The Country;-but because
my requisition a0ould interfere with The
arrangements made by The War Depart
me,lf. relative to the quota of Volunteers
from the several States under the new
law for calls not yet made, but 10 be made
a. some future period.
Had General Taylor's supplies been
cut off, and his army hard pressed by the
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