Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1848-10-25
PRRSONiL CHARACTER or GEN. TAYLOR.

q gentleman who has long enjoyed the pleasure Of
m intimate personal acquaintance with General |
Taylor. IL was written at the request Of friend |
who has placed it in our hands for publication.- |
Ii accords with all our own impressions Of the
Generals character, and with the op;niops of all |
whom we have heard speak OF him from personal
knowledge we are not at liberty to the
WRITER out we can state that he is gentleman
widely known for his piety aud talents, whose
name, II given, would command universal conf
dencc In The truth ana sincerity Of his statements
WIN that consciontinusness which distinguishes
MIN, he has been careful to give too high CO.
iofng TO his portrait, for in private note he SAYS
- Tear have not made what YOU wished, but
was afraid 10 let my heart pour its ,ricklings out
'oi the end OF my pen, lest my eulogy should have
made readers disirus, me rs too partial Wat
jntsNigcncer
LOUISIANA, Sept. IL, 1913
My DGAH SIR 1t affords me pleasure to COM
ply with Your request that would communicate
10 You the opinion which personal acq"~;-.-.:,~
with Gen. Taylor has induced me to form OF his
character. think know him well and, without
panaaH s Placed SsRah him '' eouspcn "nsIU
before '.e country, shall speak Of the traits which
nsu'sn nm as man. As you well know.
and
uuS' o' 'Ne POLITICAL arena have charms for me
a'd you must therefore take my estimate of the
Ne"ciai $ character as being that merely of an
humole individual, who, with some orportuni, lies
oil observation, has contemplated the man. without
asSociang him with either the battle field or Pre-
sidcntial chair.
have been sometimes not little amused nv tho
question, very seriously propounded, whether Gen
Taylor was not perfect cl0yn in his manners /
uo'not that his soub'tquct of Rough and Ready"
mas on ths point, created mistake While with
,he Army, and especially in the field, he lived Gas
learn from friends who were with him) very much
as his soldiers did; all had something 10 do more
Important IMAM studying the graccs Of the toilet
'A'S eN'eThai appearance, therefore, was "rouuho
enough and think it quite probable that at Palo
A''o or Buena Vista he might, as the outward
man, have been mistaken for one of his baooaoo
teaISterS have seen him AZ his own bo,,a when
ne reminded me of plain honest New Enoland
farmer, In his working dress. But trough !" in anv
o'nef sense than that OF accommodating his ANN,
Tel 10 his employment he is not have seen hin,
ms military undrcss, receive officially the City
authorities and various Deputaons in New Or
leans, and his department on these occasions u,,s
unaffected, modest, and dignilied He has the al,
eheht Oh All true courtesy in the kindness Of his
nature Tor, though cOns,tutionally brave. he has
YET n'uch OF The sonsDility and tenderness Of wo-
man S nature when he looks on human SUFFERING =
remember that when he was received in Nav
orleans. on his return from Mexico, with all tho
iiools 'hat The State and City could offer he seem
c. insenslb2 10 the tribute rendered to himself in
ms apprehension that, among the thousands who
crowded around the trumphal procession, some of
:, "o'ic1 ana children might probably be injured
IL Is possible that Gen. Taylor may be ignorant ~
some OF the points of etiquette purely conventions,
established by what is called the fashionable world
nave not' however, observed in him any such
want on knowledge. and, both in manners and feel
ing, Should cal! him gentleman
Tie Is not man OF many words This ,por IN
sui, IN par, from the fact that he has slch; i'm.
Pediinent IN his utteraace, Git is very slight bow
ever j but more, apprehend, from the patrrql
inoaes'y OF his disposition. He is man OF thought
at'o action, rather than Of speech. When. how
ever ne does speak, he expresses himself in few
mo'Is' wen chosen, and always to the point In
me family Intercourse Of private friendship he is
less reserved and, in such circumstances, his char
"c'eF VIII be most highly appreciated
AS TO his Intellectual powers, his mind is far a.
hove The common order. lis distinguishing char
":tef!S,ic Is sound Judgment. should not deem it
ehHcr brilliant or rapid in It's exercise but i, is a
cute ana discriminating. or all the men whom |
nave KNOWN none has been moro conspicuous than
Sel' Taylor for ''doinS his o,on Miaking" Pos
eesSed OF strong clear head, he reasons himself
mo MS conclusions, and they are invariably mark
cd by good practical common sense Won will m,
turaiiy inquire what are his attanments; how far
ne mas iurnished himself with material Tor houpht2
-'nd mere again Gas IN the case OF his nanners)
great mistake prevails Gen TAYLOR possesses far
more information, derived from actual study. than
hundreds OF those who write disparagingly Of his
understanding. His studies have heen chiefly in
history. have been told by some OF his officers.
WHO served with him for years ON our Western
frontier, that all his leisure there was devoted 70
reading history and that the history of our own
country had received his particular attention this
oeiieVc is true. ! remember having seen, some
"eeNS ago, newspaper paragraph, in which the
a In Noe r
iay'or. was not aware that such q resemblance
iau occurred TO others, but it had made strong
impression upon me long ago. The truth is thai
ven. taylor long since fixed his eyes on General
washington as the model Of all that was truly
great afd good he has studied his character tho
II1uSniy' ana doubt II there be an incident Of
tYashngton's LIE, with which he is moi familiar
lie certainly is like him in the possession of the
salo CAIN deliberate exercise Judgment, and the
same lniie%Ible Integrity Of purpose never knew
man WHOM believed, in the broades; sense Of
Taylor. '''''
While on the subject of his understanding am
reminded Of the statements made in snme IF tho
papers that General Iaylor's dispatches were not
written by himself To me such a statement i.
Poriec!!y I!d!c"2us and those who make il must
DC sadly ignorant of both the character and mind
OF Zen. Taylor. Rest assured that he is quite O.
quail TO the production Of all the official renorts +,
which his name is attached; and in this SIZE there
is abundant evidence Of the fact to be found in mn
merous private letters which were upaucstiopohlv
written by him.
There Is one trait of character, which. if not re-
guated by great fairness and good sense NAV cas-
NY become striking defect in any man n r,a,,
any cause Sem Taylor should err. think il would
probably be from this. alude to the tepacifv Win
winch minds that calmly think themselves into ~
p!nons adhere to the deliberate concIu,i,ne ,lo,,
nave formed. This tenacity may become mere ol,-