Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-08-13
Friday Morning, August 49, 1871
GENERAL 81 OFT.

Cerro GJrdo and advance lmmeaialeg III ~ h,ow
raj before IL had had time To recover iron, '' ~ -
Sh an advance il is said would not only nave ueen
CONSISTENT with the rules OF war, nu, WIZ" ~. ~
NV" - s.Id,m taking into consideration the pos
s,. ,.cessity OF 4 retreat IL would nave neth b'gn
,s.,iSving 10 his army, flushed as they were win
confident in the talents Of their leader, eSut
;np In their well nscrrtained superiority and ifm! ih
sed with HE belief that no force The enemy,
any obstacle he might be able Ia oppose, could lor
nome nj stop them IN The career Of conquest me ioice
which had conquered Ceyo Gordn Sufficient ol
only 10 planted The stars and stripes on the towers
ofthe Montezunas, but to have bcrne ihen triumphant
" from one end the Mexican Republic 10 the ohef
with much ease rs Wellington ard b'ncher Nhe
traed 10 Paris, after the flower oil Na'runs army hau
brrn DESTROYED IN the disastrous battle Of Waterloo
The eyes Of the whole world were turned upon ihe
American General; he utmost reno, existed IN Mrtco
where disorder Ieirncd triumphant. ana "t?;hZru re
sistance was the dreams al its inh'bu
ants feelings o tins country we'e ~f"nshi NJ 10
pitch Of excitement, only al'ayec by an extraordinary
degree Of confidence both in men aud cur oficess
and Europe cuult III Disguise her tna'ih NJ IN. pfospre,
OF our approaching success Suddenly Tie whole ora
was taken abncs by intelligence .nai tie ame'eah" e
neral had hated in the Of victory-h. the enc
my had been allowed time 10 recover Tom the supcrul
desparihai he actively engaged III orsaniznl new
means Of resistance victorious lesons-anu ina.
another battle, bloody than hat winch !iau
just taken place. would probably hr nneh' hetu'r our
could arrive AT the goal which all Their e1eos
pointed. &. -,
Tn. apparently strange nrcectto make Use 81 tne
which he had tainet by hIS own skii he "
than by the vaor OF his rrops. ms subjected "ene
Scott To much anc, in our opinion. very uhuese, t
cansure. The cause 1T we'll KNOWN 10 nc iou"u
tho discharge If great number oil volunteers VINO 'au
assisted him 10 gain victory Of Cero Goiho ana te
loss OF whose services enirW paaiysed Ms movement
In advance. II Is well known, nkewi>e, uiat tkese
men were actually discharged sa weeks before tht'r
of service expired, upon the absurd prr' Y tiat
slch time should he allowed them 10 teiuih !" lheii
homes.
We make the above copious extract from an
article in yesterdays Wing, the purporl OF which
is 10 convict The Secretary OF War OF an absurd
interpretation Of the law, which has Led 10 'the
delay OF three months" TO "ihe revival OF Mexi-
can spirit from the terrible overthrow OF CeIro
Gordo," and 10 tall The blood hat may flow in
new battle
The n. Y. Courier takes even holder ground
than the Wing Itsays.
at was obvious 10 every man of common sense,
that after the battle OF Cerro Cio'do hs had only
10 move forward 10 insure the possession OF The
capital Of Mexico and an immediate peace
And il was equally apparent 10 the whole coun-
try, that the torce then under his command was
quite sufficient tor his purpose. Yet, 10 lhe as.
punishment OF everybody, GenerA Scou, instead
of advancing with his victorious army, and be-
ing received, as he would have ueen, with open
arms b. the lerror-s.rcken inhabitants OF Me1i-
co, deliberately discharged more than halt Of his
force slI lseks before the expiration OF their term
OF service! and then waited neaely three months
for 7e,u lercs 10 do the work which he could hqrc
accomplished IN tsssaty days srRh he force Aider
hls command"
The Courier then goes on TO say that it cannot
believe that Gen. Scott would have been guilty
OF such jo4y-insanity we should say"-as to
discharge the volunteers, which was done ION
the ridiculous plea that they were entitled 10 be
discharged in time TO reach their homes before
the expiration OF their term Of service; and This
decision, we understand, was made by MIR. Sc
crelary Marcy in February last"
We fully agree with the principle laid down by
The Courier and Wing that iii . man enlist here,
the very day OF The expiration OF Nat term, and
not one hour before is he entitled o bis discharge;
and thus far The volunteer and the enlisted SOL
der stand on precisely The same ground"
Admitting, then, The argumen, OF these pa
pers, that, had not the troops been discharged,
Gen. Scott might have marched OF 10 the Mexican
capital, and in twenty days have taken posses
sion OF it, and secured an immediate peace, the
question is narrowed down to the point, 1"sc is
guilty of the "tolly and insanity" OF So Suicidal
movement, The Courier and lhe Wig say
that MIR. s.iarcy is the guilty au!hor Of lie mis-
chief and should be held MP 10 pablo it,
digna.ion; and that the "absufd" decision vas
made by Mir. Marcy as late as February last
The Union replies, that Mr.. Marcy expressed
no such decision 10 General Scott, gave 20 such
instructions to General Sect in the month OF
February, or at any time before Gen. S. had is
sued his general orders Of May 4ih, for the dis
charge OF the volunteers. from witch we extract
all that relates 10 this point:
General Orders, No. 1885,
HEADQUARTERS oP THE ARMY,
Jaispa May d. lS47.
Extracts of recent act III Congress- published
in the general orders, No IA, dated al me War
Department, March 81, lsi7, provide for ami in
vile The tender of "the services "i sncn oil lie
volunteers new in Mexico who may, al The Ter
minaton If The press nj term, voluntarily engage
10 serve during The wal with Mexico"
The general order cona ning these csirac's
reached The General-in- chief at this place some
nine DAYS ago, and was immei aleiy sent 10 The
Headquarters vi the volunteers Tor prompt circu-
lalion among the regiments pFssen; ard appeal
ed 10. viz: the Tennessee cavalry, Inc 81 dod
illinois infantry the Is, and 81 Tennessee inian-
.ry, the Georgia infantry and the Alabama H.
iauiry, whose several terms Of service Will II is
understood, expire in Tour, i've apd SIX weeks.
great number oil urdoubied channels, thai, in all
probability, no, one man in Ten OF those regiments
will be inclined 10 volunteer Tor the war. This
predetermnatipn offers, in his opinion, no GROUND
for reproach-cons,dering The long, aIdauus ia h.
full, aod gallant vices OF those currs-howerer
deeply all will regret The consequent ;id unavoi,!-
able DELAY in The prosecution OF this 10 an
early and honorable peace; for The Gcnerain
chief cannot, 10 humanity and good faith, cause
regiments-entilled, in few weeks, IL an homo.
Table discharge-lo advance iuither from Inc
coast in The pursuit OF the enemy, and thereby
throw Them upon the necessity Ci returning 10
etobark a, Vera Cruz at the seas II known 10 be,
at that place, the most latal 10 lie.
Accordingly, The regimeEis Of Old volunteers,
and the independent company OF Kentucky 70.
luuleers. serving with This army, Will stand ready
on the return Of the large train from below, TO
march to Vera Cruz and thence TO embark for
New Orleans, where they will De scveray and
honorably mustered ont OF the service Of The U.
Staes, and paid of by The proper oiicers Oh duly
there.
This order will be sent 10 those officers; and
the governor and commander of Vera Cruz, who
has been instructed 10 have the necessary trans
ports ready by the early arrival Of the returning
troops.
There is nothing in the foregoing Intended 10
interfere with the invitation presented BY Con-
gress and the President To le. enlis:msEis on the
part OF the old volunteers. On Ill. contrary, the
General-in-Chei ardenly hopes hat many new
companies will be formed out Of lGoSe old Iuaps
and presented Tor continued service, according to
that invitation. He will gladly accepi Them for
the war, and cause lhem if not embodied into
ba,,alions 10 be temporarily attached 10 The weak
er regiments of the regular army rs indicated in
the Presidents orders, No. IA, above reci;ca.
BY command Maj. Gen. Scott:
(signed) H. L. SCOTT, A. A. A.G.
In this general order, says The Union, Gene
raj Scott assigns the reasons which prompted
him to discharge the volunteers. The world
will Judge of their propriety and ioIce. But