Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1848-05-10
A SPICY LETTER.

Zen. Scott y letter 10 mo secretary OF war, III
der date Of Feb. "a, 1913 is very sharp affair."
After reviewing the course of the Secretary sine
the General was ordered to Mexico, the letter col
cudcs thus:
The three arrested officers, and he who had or
deavored to enforce necessary discipline agains
them, are all TO DO placed together before the sam
court. The innocent and the guilty, the accuse
and the accuser, the Judge and his prisoners, ar
dealt with alike. Most impartial justice Blu
there is a discrimination with vengeance! Will
the parties are trial--if the appealer is TO b
tried at all which seems doubtful-two restored
to their corps--one of them with his brevet rank
and am deprived of my command There car
be but one step more in the same direction throw
the rules and Articles Of war into the fire, and leave
all ranks In the army free to engage in denuncIa
tons and general scramble for precedence, autho
n,y and executive favors The pro,tlcian,cnto on
The part Of my factious Juniors is most triumphant
My recall--under the circumstances, severe
punishment before trial-but to be followed by a
trial here, that may run into the autumn--and OH
matters ann but partially permitted to know by the
Department and my accpsers-is very ingeniously
placed on two grounds 81. My own request, mean
ing that Of June A, Quoted above, and there was
no other before the Department. which had been
previously DULY l2) acknowledged and rebukngy
declined. Z. The arrest of Brevet Major Gen.
Worth, for writing to the Department ''under the
pTotext and form of an appeal s open letter. be-
sent through me, in which was grossly and false
y accused of "mace" and conduct unbecoming
az oioer and gentleman in the matter of the gem
eral order No. $40, on the subject of putting letters
for the newspapers at home.
On that second point, the letter from the DEPART
ment of January IL, is more than ingenious it is
elaborate, subtle and profound--a provisional dis
sertation with the rare merit of teaching principles
until now wholly unknown TO military codes and
treaties, and of course TO all soldiers however great
their experience in the field
| MT in MIA H., a.,
hint at the fatal consequences of the novel doctrine
In question. According to the Department, any
factious Junior may, at his pleasure in the midst of
the enemy-uslng "the preteXt and form of an APP
peal' against his commander, insult and outrage
him to the greatest eXtent-though he be the Cen
eral-in- Chief, and charged with the conduct of tho
most critical operations; and that commander may
not arrest the ncipent mutineer, until he shall have
first laid down his authority and submitted
hnlSeJ to trial, or wait, at least, until distant
period ut leisure for a judicial examination of the
appeal! And this is precisely the case under con
slderation. The Department, in its eagerness to
condemn me, could not take time to learn of the ex-
perienceG, that the General-in- Chief, who once
submits to an outrage, from junior, must lay his
account to suffer the like from all the vicious under
hlm--at least down TO rank that may be supposed
without influence in high quarters, beyond the army.
But this would not be the whole mischief to the
public service. Even the great mass of the spirit
ed, intelligent and well affected among his brothers
in arms, would soon reduce some commander to ut
ter mbecility, by holding him in just and con
tempt for his recreancy to himself and country
find are discipline and efficiency Of no value in
The. field?
But 1t was not my request Of June 4, nor report
No 80, (of July 25) So largely quoted from above;
nor yet the appeal OF one pronunciado that has at
length brought down upon me the visitation, so
clearly predicted. That appeal no doubt had lis
meiifs-considering it came from an cratic brother
"a deserter from the other extreme--who having
first made his peace with the true faith was bound
TO sgnalize aposiacy by acceptable denunca,ons of
one-irom whom, up 10 Vera Cruz, he had profess
ed, (and not without cause } the highest OBLIGATIONS
CT was there he learned from me that was DOOM
ed at Washington and sraightway the aposta,e be-
gan TO SEEK through quarrel, the means of turn
ing that knowledge to his own benefit) No.
There was (recently) still another element associa-
ted IN the worh-kept as far as practicable out of
the letter of recall-an influence proceeding from
the other arrested General-who is quite wllinp
that 1t should generally be understood, (and who
shall galnsay his significant acquiescence y that all
rewards and punishments, in this army were, from
the first, to follow his recommendations This, the
more powerful OF the pTonunCiados against No. 349
well knew, at the time, as soon knew, that he
was justly obnoXious-not only TO the animadver-
sons OF that order, but TO other censures of much
graver character.
In respect to this General, the letter of recall oh
serves, pathetlealiy. but with acunen worthy of
ioIo iiotCe, tii3t some OF my SDecIfl
cations Of his misconduct are hardly consistent with
your (my) official reports and communications
Seemingly, this is most just rebuke But, wait
ing for the trials, will here briefly state that I'M
fortunately, followed that Generals own reports
written and oral-that my confidence, lent him in
advance, had been but very slightly shaken as ear
ly as the first week in October-lha. up to that
time, from our entrance into this city, had been
at the desk, shut out from personal intercourse with
my brother ofcers-and that it was not till after
that confinement that facts, conduct and motives be-
gan to pour in upon me-
\ word as to the 9th article of war can truly
say that, in this and other communications. | have
not designed the slightest disrespect to the Com
mandarin Chief of the Army and Navy of the u
nited States No doubt he, like myself and all O.
Tiers, may fall into mistakes to particular men;
and cannot, having myself been behind the cur
tain admit the legal fiction that ALL acts of The
Secretary are the acts of the President Yet. in
my defensive statements, | have offered no wanton
dlscourtesy TO the head of the War Department al
though that unctionary is not in the remuneration
of the above mentioned article.
Closing my correspondence with the Department
until after the approaching trial,
! 1 have the honor to remain, respectfully
our most obedlent servant
WINFIELD SCOTT.
The honorable Secretary of War,
Washington, D. G..