Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1848-09-30
GEN. TAYLDN'5 EXECUTIVE
LII u ntntnaR

~pEFI HmHEH 10 1919.
Il is very comnon for Gen. Taylor's pp-
| liticat opponents 10 dwell upon his sPlans
did military achievements. but 10 deny to
him fht M itity to shine il civil life. Cen.
Taylor will he found, IA aciyilihn, h he rs
much like Washington rs h. Is IN judy
nient and humanity. "'lhe father Of his
country" ecIipsed the glory won by his
sword when he resigned it 10 his country
men; Gen. Taylor Is Yei to display greater
judgment and grtater ability rs Il chief
magistrate, than he has ever sh0$h as a
commander ii clief
Of ali living met Gen. Taylor Is The
best fit ed for an executive officer. II his
conduct l. closr Y Analysed while in The
Obscurity Of his camp ut Corpus Christi, 1t
will be seen bow careful be was not 10 act
unless "under orders" He would assume
no responsibility /; b. once al liberty from
his confinement, once across The Rio
| Grand, he bore down on the enemy that
had so long menaced him with m itnpetu-
0sity that overcame all resistance. De-
tertnined to fight his oPposers in any NJ IN.
bars that he might meet them, he shook
their valor at Palo Alto, and on the Sic
ceeding day with one mastery stroke, be
came master Of the country he was order
cd 10 occupy. So throughout his whole
care r, to obey seemed to be his highest
attribute. eRcppt to act when once in The
field. But when the time came for hin
to dcride far himself, when he saw that he
was no longer supported by those VINO
were his superinrs, when he found that he
was forced to take bis character in bis own
hands, fearless and ]undauntad, he passed
beyond the wills Of Monterey TO which he
had been ordered to retreat, aud planted
himself in The defln Of a drear frontier.
Had he been overwhelmed, The evil would
have been m his own head, but that only
instance Ut the disolay Of his Will against
bis slpnriurs, resulted in the victory If BIe-
nn VISTA, his conduct STOOD justified before
Tue world, and the executive CHARACTER Of
his mimi shone forth in immortal SPLEEN
dour.
joined with The most successful action,
Gen. Taylor possesses in Il rare degree,
II hnopleigc If men, which l. all important
in an executive officer. lie has never
been unfortunatn through those acting I'M
der him, he has never been deceived ny
those over him. M sooner does he come
in conta ct with a superior IN office, or II
subordinate to his ordrra, than he fathoms
the minds be- has 10 deal with. giving 10
each its relative worth, having done this, h.
pursues bis course of conduct as steadily.
as if he alone was the motive power Of the
world he lives IN. Compelled 10 call for
stlccor when he first marched 81 Matatlo-
rts, he begged as a favor that Coy. John
son of Louisiana would appoint Persifor
Smith to command the expected trodps,
OF all the officers called from private life
10 command n Mexico. Gen. Smith has
hid he most brilliant career. The crit
les oSne rrgulor army join with those Of
the volunteer forces in P~raisttg bis military
knowledge, his instinct az ii were to know
u soli:rrs duties. Every brilliant feat Of
hts officer on The lower line has been a
compliment TO the sagacity Of Gen. lay
len. aud rs he stood victor amidst The car
mage Of ConIroras, he gpye immortal
prof that the knowledge Of character
possessed by Gen. Taylor has never been
surpassed.
Look At Gen. Taylor on his way 10
Sierra Madre with almost every train
to bin newly appointed officers
'lriemIs Of The administrations" Can the
most ~ptplodlced mind point to a single IN
where he was In error as TO their
worth. Pillow and Patterson While under
him reiru,I g,u,p.fnnA1pnr tb, E.rr,n
land and ema y ranches of Camargo-
and Butler he t0oh Rith him, and
thry participated in the terrible storming
of Monterey. Instantly did The b]enetra.
ting mind ofGen. Taylor know the value
of these several officers, instantly did he
give them positions equal 10 their merits,
and their conduct from under bis command,
has only more deeply impressed upon his.
tory, bis original estimate Of their value.
When Gen. Taylor was stripped Of bis
regulars, he wrote to the wal department,
that he wished 10 keep the then, bttto him,
unknown Bragg. How nobIy thet young
sustained himself when the scales of
t~rembIed, and when rothing but
'a little more grape" would turn the bal
ance In our favor.
Gen. Taylor has not only a knowledge
of men, but he does not let his political or
pc sonal prejudices interfere with bis judg.
ment. Had he been an "uIlra whig," he
would not have chosen u prominent demo.
cratic politician TO command the Louisiana
Brigade. Had p~artizan instead Of l%ntrin-
worth influenced him, some other ar
~tilerist might have bad the honor so de-
servpdly bestowed upon Bragg.
Look at bis lille army in Mexico,
filed with hostile elements il pur.
sued its glorious career with perfet: bar
nony. Gen. %!'aylor's influence was ever
sufficient to check the i~ncipient quarrel,
and destroy the evils of inordinate ambi-
ton. His innate greatness, his generosity,
his forgetfltness ofsrlG, placed him above
ami his subordinates listened to
bin not only as their superior officer, but,
their ever to be trusted friend.
Can a man who has thus ever distin-
himself in his executive capacity,
who has never made a m stake, who has
never failed, possess other than the highest
attributes Of II chief magistrate. Prompt
to obey himself, will he not zee that the
law is held sacred by others? Will not
his vast influence his integrity ? his sub
lime associations ! his overtowering fame
and patriotism ? enable him to bind 10.
gether his cabinet, and the more subordin-
officers Of Government in a solid pha.
lanx ofharmonious sire myth to sustain his
administration having the right by his