The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1848-09-26

GEN. TAYLOR ON THE NIGHT BEFORE THE BAT
TILE OF BUENA VHTA-We take the following
highly interesting article from the Staurton,
Va, Spectator:
The following we'll authenticated occurrence
manifests the existence in Gen. Taylor OF The
elements of true greatness in highly eminent
degree. On the night before the battle oil Bu-
ena Vista he sat down and drew his Will, and
enclosed il in letter to his wife, in which he
stated that he had just passed the most trying
hour of his existence. That his best disciplin-
ed troops had been withdrawn from him by the
Executive (of whose treatment OF him 1t was
not his purpose then to complain,) and that he
was. against the advice Of his officers in coun-
Gil. and with vast disparity Of numbers and
discipline, abou, TO engage the finest army Mex
leo had ever had, headed by her ablest General,
in battle likely to result in the most momen-
tous consequences. That as he might not sur
yiye the severe conflict that must ensue, he
deemed ii proper to place in her hands the
means of doing Justice TO his memory by stating
TO her the reasons that had Influenced his con-
duct on this important occasion. These were
that the Mexican army had jus, crossed great
desert, their forces both III men and horses
must be i'm condition so exhausted as much
to impair their capacity for physical exertion.
That OH the other hand, he himself held a
strong position, well adapted to enable small
to repel superior force, in which alone ne
could hope successfully TO contend with tue
immense odds against him. That should be
quit his position and fall back upon Monterey,
as he had been advised to do. his own little ar
nv would be discouraged, and the enemy Ella
ted aud admitted into country III which they
could not only thoroughly refresh themselves,
but moreover double their numbers by the adj
dtion of rancherOs.
That with such force Santa Anna might
hem him up in Monterey, while he swept ev-
cry post from thence 10 the mouth Of the Rio
GraDde, guarded as they were by small forces
of raw troops, who would in such catastro
phe, doubtless, be indiscriminately butchered
by the merciless rancheros, TO whose rafages
our own frontier settlements would moreover
be thereby exposed. Thus would be wrested
from us all the advantages we had gained; our
country injured and her honor furnished. Such,
he believed would be the disastrous and hu-
initiating consequences of retreat. lie had
therefore resolved to maintain his position at
all hazards, with determination to die rather
than 10 suffer The flag of his country TO be dis
graced while under his care. In order 10 make
successful defence with force such as his,
consisting as it did, with the exception of a
few hundred, } ofundisciplined troops, it would
be necessary that he should be exposed through
out the engagement to the most imminent per-
il. The chances were as ten TO one that he
should not be living man at the setting of the
sun on the following day. Should he fall he
exhorts her not TO give way to her grief, but to
bear her misfortunes with the fortitude becom-
ing soldiers wife.
All can now see the wisdom of General Tay-
lor's course but i'll that hour of peril, in a
council consisting Of The wise and The brave,
| there was found but one man equal 10 the &C.
casion-but one man who, rising above the
fearful responsibility OF hazarding every thing
as il were upon the cast of die, could calmly
and serenely survey the whole ground, weigh
every circumstance, and arrive at justconclu-
sion That man was General Tay lor-the man
who "asks no favors and shrinks from no res
possibility" Aye, and no other living man
could have achieved that victory, saved that
little army from destruction, his country from
dishonor, and the Executive from universal ex-
ecration. His success was not SO much be-
cause OF any arrangement or manGuvreing OF
his troops, as of their confidence in him. He
never had been-they thought he never could
be defeated; and throughout the day his pres
ence always where the danger was greatest in
spired them with new courage and induced eff
forts almost superhuman.