The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1847-02-04
CONGRESSIONAL.
THE LIEUTENANT GENERAI.-COL
BENTON,S DEFENCE OF THE PRESIDENT

asked and obtained leave Ia make an explanation
in vindicaiion of himself and the President. rela
tive I" The proposition for the appointment of
Lieut. General, proceeded as Colows:-
teel myself called upon by the remarks nf the
Senator from North Carolina (Mr Badger) To
vindcata the President from the uncons,itur ionsI
and dangerous design which The nv pot heticaI oh
servatlons at that Senator would attribute Ia him
and shall do SD IN the implrst fnrm Of narrative
repeating to the Senate all that has taken place
between the President and myself in relation In
this appointment. and thereby enabling the Sena,.
and the people to Judge Of the justice Of the aeon
sati0n.
II WAS at the beginning Of the month of Sep
iemher last, and in the moment that was about
setting out to the West that the President sent
TOR me, and informed me that he had done so for
The pnrP"se of offering me high appointment. -
He named il ; il was the mission Ia France then
Incoming vacant nv the return Of the gentleman
{ Nr. King, %! Alabama } long an ornament To-
This chamber. declined the appointment, aud
for reasons which had induced me tn decline hioh
appointments from Presidents Jackson and Van
Buren, Mr. Pnlk was kind enough tn ask inc Ia
take time Ia consider bnt answered him that
there was M need fr time; that The answer
would still he the same. after any lenu'h of
consideration; and s". with thanks for the nnnor
he had done me. the appointment tn the French
mission definitv-ly declined.
that al that time. II is certain that the Presiden,
cunld have had such design as has heen nj.
trbuted To him nv the Senator from Moth Caro-
ilna--nn design Ia max, his successor by
virtue of military fpals Ia he pprinrmed the low
lands ar the table land of the Republic Of Mexico
On the contrary, fertile imagina tion--snch as
the Senator from North Carlina sn happily pos
sesses-inght have seen. or thought il saw in
this pr"pnsed appointment. a sort of political de
un a tipn.- iktsa hnru
in foreign court-for purpose the very reverse
"f what the Senator from North Carolina has
supposed. say an inventive imagination might
have seen, thought ii saw, all this. Possess
ing no snch Imagination, saw surh thing
And taking The "frr in the sense in which it was
made, as emincnly honorable in itself, and sig,
nal evidence Of the Presidents confidence in me.
and gond will for me, made him my thanks f,r
II privately, as now do publicly and the affair
was dropped. This, repeat. al The begin
ming ut September lasi-nnly three months before
the meeting of Congress SD that, al thai time. il
is quite clear the President had no such mornen.
tnOs and fearful design The Senator fr mn North
Carolina has attrihnted to him Up to that time
mp 10 the first day of September, in the year
lS46-the Republic was safe.
Immediately after refusing the mission Ia
France. | went off To the West, was gone until
the month Of November. and had no communica
lion of any kind. direct indirect, upnn any
subject whatever, with President Polk. This
makes all safe again fnr two months more. | 70.
! turned to this city in November where my family
was, and where Congress was soon 10 meet
The day after my arrival called npon the Presi
dent; and here approach the dangerous
ground For. in Iha, first interview. he actually
asked me my opaon about the future mode of
conducting the Mexican war. For reasons not
proper now TO be stated, hut Of the validity Of
which the Country will some day have an oppor
tuniy of Judging, The President saw fiji 10 ask Inc
my opinion upon The future mode Of conducting
the war. This request did not strike as being
any thing strange nreasonable-eiiher unhe
canning in him 20 make, for me 10 comply with
In my Senatorial capacity | was his constitutional
adviser on many great questions. those of peace
and war inclusive. In my policai capacity,
was the supporter of his Administration and
ready TO give him my opinion any subject. As
chairman of the Senaie's Committee on Military
Affairs, and accustomed, in that character. To
communicate on military subjects with all Ad-
mnstratons for about quarter of century last
past. saw nothing in The nature Of the request
he had made To impcaie either pf MS. He asked
me my opinion AZ TO the future mnde Of conduct
ing the ! gave il 10 him. first in speech,
face 10 face. and afterwards in writing. And here
il is! holding up roll Of paper. Tor chose To
retain the original for myself, while sending
copy To him. Here it is and at the proper time
the public shall see II. but mol now for do mt
belong 10 The school that makes publication of
plans Of campagn-even rejected pans-in line
If war
The President approved the plan: and it so hap
ppned that the nature of the plan required head
Ia the arny--one head To the whole budy--to
unite and combine the whole into harmonious
and consistent movement. II SD happened alsn
that enough was known Of the ideas of the two
highest in rank of the officers Of the army 10 know
that their plans differrni and il is maxim
of fundamental observance in war that no general
ia t" he required To execute plan which be dis
! approves A commander became indislpnsa
! bile and as any new major general would he
subordinate To all now in cOmmissiUn the soluiinn
of The difficulty lay In the creation of new rank
superior 10 That ct major general, and inferior L.
The constitutional commander in chief. The crea-
llnn of the rank Of IieutrHant general as had been
done in the year 1889 al The time Of The expected
war with France. VAS the sOlUiiuu Of the dllicul.
! ty. This rank appeared to he the regular derva-
lion from the Presidents own political and mill
tary character, and the proper connecting link
between him and the army. As President, he
vas both The civil head Of The Government aud
the military bead of the army. He was com.
mauder in chief Of the army and navy. and of the
militia or volunteers in service. they were then
| IN service, and in foreign country. lie could
not go To Mexico To command in person para
mount duties required him TO temain here He
could not send orders from The clusei in This CITY
That folly Uf which there had been no ex,
ample since the time that the Prince Eugene (of
Savoy accustomed Ia return unopened at
the end of The campaigns, all the orders which
The Auc Council was accustomed To send him
from Vienna.
The President bound to command he
could moi 90 10 Mexico to command in person
and he could not command from Washington
The solution Of the difficulty, which recnncled all
contradictions and permitted the exercise of all
duties, civil and military. vas the appointment or
/ 2 military deputy lPgatus--a locurn lenens--a'
lieutenant To take the place Of the constitutional
Cmmna ndeI In. chief In Il,a Gi.Id nivn 1.rdnrn