The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1847-08-21

For the satisfaction and qualification Of Lieut.
asselrs many and warm friends We give place
10 Col, Davis letter 10 Lieut. sommeryille. II
to the point, and conclusive.
BRlERrIElD, Mississippi, July l2, l847.
DEAR SIR l am in the receipt Of your letter
Of the 10Th inst, in which you inform me that a
publication has been made by a member Of the
Mississippi Rifles, aspersing Lieu .RusselI's
as an officer; and disparaging his
conductin the battle of Monterey. There are
few, il any, whose conduct al the battle Of Mon
lerey ! had better opportunity to observe than
of Lieut.. Russell. His g%allantry and good
service received my entire APPRECIATION: and
am at a loss TO imagine what of his
Of his conduct has been the subject 81 censure,
the more SO from the fact that upon every
important occasion, lie was with me. Alter
the enemy VAS driven from his %outwork, the
fort "Teneiia,'' oul Regiment, advancingaupon
interior positions, entered the suburbs OF Mon
terey. Here the men became much divided, so
that when informed by Captain Field Of the U.
s. Infantry, that a body Of Mexicans had passed
round the right flank Of ourD vision, and was
in rear Of the Ohio Regiment, | had not more
than thirty men about me. Lieut.. Russell was
among them. We attacked she enemy, out
numbering us at leart four to one, and drove
him back. Lieut.. Russell was with me when
we attacked the Tete du Pont-tho work at
the head at the head Of the Purissima. He was
with me when the Lancers charged US at the
rear Of Gen. Hamar's command-where for the
first time, our RiAemen repulsed cavalry. He
was with me when, with three companies Of
the Mississippi and one company Of the Ten
nessee Regiments, we commenced the action
on the third day of the Battle Of Monterey, and
for the first time entered the harbOr.
Throughout the three days, whenever the
Regiment was embodied, he was with it, and in
every position, his conduct gave entire s%atisfac-
ton. | we'll remember, on the morning of the
day, when we were under as hot a fire as we
experienced, during the contest, that ! asked
for sharp shooters to occupy a aanking posi-
ton, and that Lieut.. Russell promptly offered tc
lead as many men Of the Company as wished
upon The duty, and handsomely performed it
The high opinion then formed ofLieut. Rus
sci was fully confirmed in subsequent trials o.
our campaign-and butsimply expressed, when
| told him on the night which followed the Cd
day Of the battle Of Buona Vista, to report to
Gen. Taylor with company sd" and say that
l had sent men who would stand by any bate
ry he might wish them to guard, as long as any
Of them were left.
Were | now returning to the scene of war,
with command, nothing would please ne bet
ter than to have Lieut.. Russell, lin a higher
grade) as one of the officers.
deeply regret that one member Of our regi-
ment should have wished to injure the fair fame
of another. Together we bore p%riyation, and
toll, and danger in Monterey, and BuenO Vista,
during five days, shoulder to shoulder we con-
fronted the e%nemy-by our joint efforts we
gathered %laurels, which have been acceptable
T. our mother Mississippi; and had hoped that
our common suffering, our common glory, had
SO united US together, that envy, or deIraction
could never find a place in our Brotherhood.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.