The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-07-21


Spanias at the Havana participated in his sympathies
and censures; and OF the English press (and OF
course the London Times took up the note, and blew
blast against the American character. Gen Scott did
only at Vera Cruz what Gen Taylor did at Monterey,
when the governor of the State asked permission for the
citizens to retire in the midst of the attack He pracsed
only what the English have done themseves-what is
agreeable to the usage well to the rules of In
addition to very able article which published some
weeks since upon this subject are happy to find an
intelligent officer of the United States coming to the de-
fence of the commanding general in the New Orleans
bulletin" We lay it before realers with great
pleasure; for not the glory of could so
much grace our flag, a of humanity amid the hor
rors of war would disgrace it,
a. From the N. O. Bulletin.
Vera Cruz.
To the Editor of the Bulletin; The scnseess com.
ments which have gone the rounds of the papers in
relation to the bombardment' of Vera Cruz, would
hardly deserve notice. il not that ell-meanng per-
have thereby been induced TO think that there was
something unusually atrocous in the manner in which
the siege of Vera Cruz prosecuted.
For such have been nnocently mised or who have
been nnocently instrumental in misleading others, 1t
would be sufficient to state few facts, to show that
there nothing unusual, atrocious unsanctioned
by the laws of war; the project of the operation
in the actual execution of the siege.
the great champion of holy alliances and of the divine
right of kings opposed to the rights of manthat eX
ceedngly impartial phanhropca and omniscient jour
nal, the London Times, fit to put forth of its
elaborate tissues of alsehoods this subject proper
to give few facts to show that not quite
atrocious, SO nhuman as the Times would make us APP
pear; at least to remind the pious editors that peo
pie who live in glass houses should never throw stones
We almost fancy the hypocrtcal look of holy hor
ror with which the writer OF the article alluded to (hav
ing just been astonshed Shy the that volunteer
and unpractsed army"and that, too, OF fankees-had
taken Vera Cruz notwithstanding his own sage predlc
tons to the contraryo ndtes the sentence olng his
eyes TO heaven depreciation of the inquty OF these Yam
kees,) 'twe could not have believed 1t any lower
authority than that of the officer in command"
The Times commences by observing that
.The American dispatches relate, with air of I'M
conscious simplicity of the atrocious and babar-
committed in modern times by the forces of a civil
ing the SIEGE characteristic OF the and desuc-
tive spirit of a volunteer and unpracsed army. No at
that officer to force the citadel San Juan de Uua to
render, the destruction Of the city Of Vera Cruz
Passing over the highly complimentary tenor of the
first two sentences, will content myself with observing,
that the last sentence (Which contains the gist of the
charge) is unquaifedly false
The expedition against Vera Cruz had for its object to
take the city of Vera Cruz and the castle of San Juan de
Ulua and all other Notifications intended for the defence
of the city and harbor OF Vera Cruz. The castle was
the only point capable OF protracted resistance; against
| culated. Surrounded all sides by water, and of no
ordinary strength, it could almost bid defiance to any
other species OF attack than that which, proceeding from
the land should overwhelm it by bombs and solid shot
and at the time cut off entirely its supplies of men,
water, and provisions. 1t upon such attack
this that our means OF siege were provided for Its
ecuon, the possession of the city of Vera Cruz db
soutey essential Nothing could be done to the castle I'M
til the city was in our hands.
$50 far from the destruction Of the city being used
compel the castle to surrender Gen Scott in his
summons to the to surrender the city, distinctly
the surrender of former would solelny engage
gun should be fired upon the castle from the city,
less the city was fired upon by the CASTLE
fact in itself, enough to testify against the Times
the charge of acfM Misrepresentation.
The commandant Of the city and castle not seeing fit TO
surrender the city on these TERMS became necessary to
take it by force.
Now It is the most ptful nonsense iii the world to say
that besege has not right choose any species of at
city fortifes itself, is fortified by its government, lis
inhabitants become subject to all the horrors which
SIEGE in time of war, may inilct They may abandon
the city as place of residence, they choose; they
may quit it before the commencement OF siege, Gas
all the inhabitants combatans at Vera Cruz had
ample opportunity of doing or they may stay, and take
| the consequences.
The attack being once opened, no general will be fool
sh enough to suspend it, (and thus risk the failure of his
operations,) in order to allow those to quit the city who
have rejected the opportunity offered to them:
The Times says relation to the fact that the foreg
consus as well other -combaants. did not quit the
city previously to the opening of the attack as they were
warned and requested to do, that
"Probably, when those gentlemen resolved to remain
their posts the commencement OF the SIEGE they did not
that the be the principal mark OF the
American batteries they might have consulted their
safety by retiring to those strong Qualifications of the castle,
against which the enemys artillery was not directed OF
/ which, at least, it made no serious impression"
A highly probable supposition which does infinite
credit to the sagacity OF the editors. Perhaps, how
ever they will consent to enlighten us, to how the
castle of San Juan could be taken, how guns could
be brought to bear upont while the city remained in
possession OF the enemys forces, and pointed upon
some 100 heavy guns.
But it is equally false that the destruction Of the city
by bombardment was exclusively relied upon, even as
means of gaining possession Of the city itself
Simultaneously with the establishing of mortar bate
ries preaching batteries established. and prdeea-
Die breach uas actually ebeced and in due time, had not
been given. Whether women and children would have
Jared any better by this last species of attack, will
leave it to the phanthropical eors of the Times "a er
refreshing their memory by reference to the of
fortified cities being carried by assault, and particular
to the accounts of the assaults OF Ciudad Rodrigo and
Badajos, by their equally philanthropcal country
m en) to decide
So much for the "bombarlment' of Vera Cruz It
would now be worth while to inquire whether ''bom-
bardment is unusual, atrocious, and "barbarous"
means of reducing fortified places, the editor OF the
Times would make appear
So far from this being the the history OF sieges
will show that it has invariably been resortel wher-
ever has Offered the realest means of reducing the
place. and by than by the Eaglish and defy
the editors to point out sing instance IN which an En-
gsh general has efraned from resortng to this opera
ton by any consideration for humanity. In speaking of
the bombardment of Flushing, Col JONES' of the British
engineers remarks:
At the period OF this operation, the Eng sh trusted TO
bombardent alone to reduce places and its complete
in this instance. well previously at Fort Bourbon
in Martinique, and at Copenhagen gave ii celebrity
led