The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-06-08
HEADoUARTERs OF THE Army,
Washinptnn Mau o. lah6

OF THE ARMY,
Washington, May 81, 1916.
STA: had the honor to receive your letter of yes
terday at my Office, about o'clock at night
As you do not say that you had shown my ex-
planatory note to you of the previous night, May
25 to the President may beg you to lay the fair
copy (herewith) before himi In this copy have
inserted in brackets material word-"friends"
accidentally omitted in the hurry of writing, and
also a development of my meaning in another
place. in red ink and in brackets.
Allow me to recapitulatc some OF the principal
facts in my present TO me) unfortunate misunder-
stsnding with the War Department.
About the 18th instant, both you and the Pres
ident expressed the desire, very explicitly, that
should conduct on an extensive scale, with the new
forces about to be raised the conquest of a peace
within Mexico | considered myself honored by
the intended appointment, and l beg that my ex
prsssons on the occasion, which | need not here
repeat, may be remembered.
have said in my letter to you Of the 2lst instant
81 have received no orders as yet, assigning me to
the immediate command Of the army about to be
raised, &c. No officer Of the army or navy was
ever despatched by any executive on distant impor
tant service, without i1rihen instructions, or
orders from his government. | have re-
ceived no such paper, and have never even
heard that such paper had been drawn up,
or was even in preparation for me. 1t is evident
then, that, without written instructions, or ORDERS
could not have left my habitua duties here, indie
pendent of the preliminary arrangements for the
formidable movements contemplated against Mex
leo.
On the 18th instant, hearing that Mexican troops
had passed the Rio Grande, and of the capture of
Capt, Thornton's, detachment, | addressed letter
to Gen. Taylor, a copy Of which annex, and beg
It, also, with this letter. may be laid before the
President. The letter to Gen. Taylor was twice
sent up to you before il was despatched, ard, at
your instance, was changed (by the omission Of
paragreph) to the exact shape of this copy.
Its last paragraph is in these words: 81 do not
now expect to reach the Rio Grande much ahead
of the heavy re-inforcements alluded above to
assume the immediate command in that quarter be-
fore my arrival"
quote this paragraph To show that did not ex-
pect to be sent to the Rio Grande, and did not even
suspect II was the intention of the President or
yourself, to send me thither, "much ahead Of the
heavy reinforcemcnts alluded to''-viz some twenty
odd thousand volunteers, besides few additional
regulars
Though had occasion to see you twice or thrice
in the mean time, | heard no complaint from you,
and received no correction Of that misapprehenson
it. in fact, had fallen into any--before the evening
Of the both instant, when you spoke of the impa-
thence manifested ut my occupations Tor deay) here
which complaint caused my letter to you Of the
peNt morning-May 2lst.
II seemej, therefore, evident TO me, at the time,
that your complaint had been caused by the out-of-
door clamors to which have since alluded.
Three hours before | received your letter Of the
25th instant conveying the displeasure Of the Exec
utive and without the least expectation of receiving
such letter, had sent in to you my report or note
Of the same day, (the IS h. which concluded with
this declaration:
81 think my preliminary and necessary occups-
ton may be ended here 10 (say) three days more,
when--premisins that after the great and brilliant
victories Of the gallant Taylor, (ofwhiah we have