The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-05-16
THE COURT OF INQUIRY.

In late letter from the city of Mexico the
| correspondent of the New Orleans Delta
holds the subjoined language in reference to
the proceedings of the Court of Inquiry in the
case of Zen. Pillow:
You have no doubt read the proceedings
with great degree Of interest; if you have
not, hope you will The proceedings of the
of all military and civil lawyers. The decis-
ions of the Court remind me Of the story of
raw recruit, whom the drill sergea nj could not
make recolcct his right hard from his left
In order to strengthen the memory of the re-
cruit the sergeant BACKED one hand, and told
him that was his right hand then taking hold
Of both hands, and turning them one over an
other in quick succession, asked the recruit
which was his right hand. Why" replied
the fellow, "you have mixed them up so that
| cannot tell tother from which " So it is
with the Court; they have cot the decisions so
mixed up that lido not believethev or any one
else can tell what has been the rule carried
out any two days insucceSsion, unless it is that
! Gen. Scott is always wrong and the defence
always right, let the question be what ii may
If precedent were law the decisions of this
Court support an attorney in argument on any
side OF any question whatever. One dsv Gen
Scott complains Of the course ofproceeding of
one of his antagonists, and the Court saws - 1t
IS matter over which they have no control"
In the course OF few days complaint is made
that Gen. Scott has done what the Court had
sand they could not control, and then the Court
decides that II is indelcat s. highly improper
Put peg there, and save the mark Gen.
Pillow asks witness for his opinions, or the
reasons for belief in Il certain matter, the Court
at once decides that he must state them. In
i've minutes after Gen. Scott asks the witness
what were his opinions in reference TO anotk-
er matter: objections are made, the Court is
cleared, and after some forty minutes wise
knowing, and very honest consultation, decide
that the witness may state the facts which led
HIM to conclusions or opinions, buthe must not
state what those opinions were. And so it has
been from first to last. | have endcaYorcd to
ind out what system or rule has governed this
Court IN their decisions, but without effect
and am sorry to say that | look upon it as an
anomaly in military jurisprudence.
However, the evidence and documents
brought out in the course of the trial show most
concIusiTely the determined and deliberate ef-
fort on the part Of the Administration to over
throw and break down General Scott-to con-
sign to Infamy and disgrace the warrior chief
who has accomplished the most wonderful a.
cmeyements recorded on the pages Of Ameri- !
can history, and who has done all this with the |
prejudiees and influences of the Government
at home against him, and the political aspirant
IN his own camp playing second fiddle to them.
The private bureaus and the confidential cor
respondence Of the Departments at Washing
ton have been ransacked, and every paper |
that could be brought TO bear, directlyor indi- |
rectly, on the questions at issue have been cop
led and sent to the defence, in hopes to inhu-
enee the decisions private correspondence to
the military bureaus, written at time when it |
was impossible TO forward regular official COM
mumcahons from here, have been published |
IN the Union. and the letters, with the names |
OF the officers, sent to the defence, in hopes |
that 1t would prove that persons belonging to |
Cen SCOTS general or personal staff had writ
tensietters for publication, or that it was the
practice of officers to write letters in order |
that they would find their way into the public |
prints.
But the Administration have made a great
mistake. When they aimed at the object of
their destruction, they selected gun with too
small caliber"