Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1848-06-01


on foot to create lieutenant general TO
take command in The field over me. -
Shocked and distressed, allowed Of no
relaxation in my efforts TO serve my coun-
try, resolved that for the short time was
likely to remain in commission, to be
"TIue as the dial TO the sun,
Although he is not shined upon"
A yet greater outrage soon followed:
failing 10 obtain an act from The citizen
lieutenant general, bill was pressed upon
Congress 10 authorize the placing Junior
ma or general Just appointed the (same in.
dividuaI in command over all the old ma
Tor gpaorslS iJ,esI In frnsf nr'h~ euvmy:
will not here trust myself to add a
a soldiers comment upon these attempts;
but may thank God that He did not al
low them, or subsequent injuries, TO break
down entirely the spirit and abilities such
as they are) with which he had endowed
me.
Forseeing, at Washington, that, from
the great demands of commerce, at the
moment, it wond be difficult, if not i'm
possible, TO take up, perhaps at any price,
sufficient number Of vessels at New Or
leans aud Mobile to transport the regi-
ments of my expedition from the Rio
Grande frontier to Vera Cruz, | endeav.
ored to impress upon the War Department
tie necessity of sending out, from the
northern and eastern ports, certain num-
Der Of large ships in ballast, in order that
the expedition might not be delayed, and
in view of "the fixed fact"-,he return Of
the vomito at Vera Crnz in the spring Of
the year-a delay Of few weeks was
like y 20 prove total defeat.
In a paper transmitted to me, headed
Memorandum from the Quanermaster
General" marked War Department, De.
cember l6, 1916, land signed by the Sec.
rotary, which | received Jan, 3, it is said
Independently Of this number of tran
sports for troops and ordnance stores
from the morrill, there will be required
say, five ships for the transportation o
the surf boats now being prepared, be
sides which ten vessels must be taken NJ
and sent GU, in baIlas, for troops unless
stores can be pnt on board, 10 make W
; the number (4O) required by the com
handing general"
The date of this memorandum is Dec
=, l6, more than three weeks after my requl
" siion and departure from Washington.-
OF not one of the ten vessels in ballast
=" VIZ" s'"''s, N'~"'''', = =.
have heard, up 10 this day. Relying up
on them, confidently, the embarka,ion wa
DELAYED in whole or in part, at the Brazo
= and Tampco, from the 18th Of January +
the 9th Of March; leaving, it was feared
not half the time needed for the reduction
of Vera Cruz aud its Castle before tn
return of the yellow fever. But half tn
J, surI-boats came at all; and of the sitg
. train and ordnance stores, only about on
half had arrived when the Mexican flag
were replaced by those OF the United Sta
6 ties on those formidable places, We sue
coed a; last, in reaching the point Of al
. tack, in the midst Of frighfu northers, b
-, means, in great part, of trading craft ,sma
. aud hazardous, picked up accidentally a
4 The Brazos and Tampico; and when tn
;, army got ashore, its science and valor ha
to supply all deficiencies in heavy guns
mort rs and ordnance stores.
The first letter that received from tn
department. after entering the capture
= city, contained an elaborate rebuke (da,e
o February 90, for having ordered Col. Han
q ney, Cd Dragons, to remain in the com
q mand Of the cavalry with jor Genera
i Taylor, so as TO leave Major Sumner, q
The same regiment, the senior Of tina, arm
in my expedition. There was no grea
. difference in the number Of cavalry com
!, panIes with the two armies This rebuk
was written with a complacency that ar
f gued the highest professional experienced
f in such matters and could not have beer
n more confident in its tone, if dictated tC
f the greenest General of the recent appoint
ments. Yet, withou, the power OF select
ing commanders of particular corps, n,
General in chief would venture to take
upon himself the conduct of critlca
campaign. Such selections were always
made by the father Of his country, and thu
principal Generals under him. So in the
campaign of 1914, myself sent away
against their wishes, three senior field off
, GERS Of as many regiments, being nfrm
uninslruclcd and inefficient, in favor o
r three Juniors, and with the subsequent APP
f probation OF Major General Brown, on hi.
Joining me, and the head Of the War De-
par,ment. Both were well acquainted
with the customs of war, in like cases. at
home and abroad; and without that ener.
gy on my part, it is highly probable that
no American citizen would ever have
cited the battles of the Niagara without II
sigh for his country. | am happy, howev.
er, that before word had been received
from the department, and, Indeed, before
il could have had any knowledge Of the
question, | had decided to take with me
the frank and gsllan, Colonel, and hope
soon to learn that he and very many other
officers have been rewarded with brevels
for their highly distinguished services in
the campaign tina, followed.
1t was in reference to the same rebuke
that, in acknowledging your communica.
tons, said. from Vera Cruz, April 9Th:
81 might very well controvert the mill
tary principles SO confidently laid down by
the department in the letter of the god of