Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1848-08-21
Captain x. Taylor.
"REMINISCENCES OF 1912 AND 1

Having given in our paper of last Thursday, a
poftraitnreg of the patriotism and military ardor OF
Col. Cas-, taken from the history of the surrender
of Detroit, (for we have never heard that his valor
and purity were tested in actuaicombat with the enc
my as recorded in that able advocate of Demo-
crazy, Niles: Register, Ct 1912 and 13, we now
undertake certainly the more pleasing task of show
ing what is sad in those same pages of an humble
captain of that stormy period. who, unlike Colonel
Cass, figured in battles and ~triumphs, and whose
name is not so much dislonored as to be mentioned
in connection with a surrender. The spirit of the
American people is opposed to any thing and every
one that is connected with a defeat, and it would as
a man who had proved himself perfidious, if actions
and language can prove anythiDg-a coward Ill
sight of the smoke of battle, i political renegade,
and if guilty Of personal charges not yet swept
away by q clear vindicdtion, more decidedly tit.
ted for some other description Of architectural stHlc-
ture than the White House at Washington. This
we unhesitatingly affirm respecting Cas-, If hls'o-
rical facts and uncontradlcted statements an be
taken as evidence.
How different is the character of Capt. Z. Taylor
from that of Colonel Lewis Cass, as portrayed IN
Niles Register-'tis the sunbeam and the shadow
the purity of heaven and the deformity of earth.
On the very day, Septembr 10. 1912, that CO..
Cass was at the seat of Government, describing the
particulars of a surrender, in which he bore q con-
%spicuous part, we find that Captain z. Taylor was
likewise engaged with his pen, but in a far dittar-
ent strain. Ii was in language similar to that which
emanated from the same gifted author, in a differ
ent cline and & different era, when the people were
told that their %country's flag was victorious at Pa'o
Alto, at Resaca de la Palma, at Monterey and Bu-
ena Vista. He was writing to the lamented Harm
son, and telling him Of victory in the defence OF
Fort Harrison, and it is go true to the style and SIM
plicity of his lateroepistles, which have created SO
much interest within the last two years, that we
cannot refrain from giving an extract. The In
dams had surrounded and fred the fort, and after
describing ae consternatien prevalent among his
handful of men, Captain Taylor continues:
8 Sand, sir. what from the raging Of the tire-the
yelling and bowling of several hundred indians
the cries of nine women and children "a part sol
diers' ana a part citizens wives, who has taken
shelter in the fo,t)-and the responding Of so many
Of the men, can assure you that my feelings oere
ueru unpleSsant-and Indeed there were not more
Than ten or fifteen men able to do a great deal, the
others being either sick or convalescent-and to add
to our 8.her misfortunes, Two Of the stoutest men
10 the fort, and that / had every confidence in, Jump,
ed the pickets and left US. But my presence of
mind did not for a moment forsake me. Alter
keeping ND a constant fire until about six O'Clock
the next morning, which we began to return with
some effect after daylight, they removed out OF the
reach of our guns. y WaNost the whole of our
provisions, but must make out TO live upon green
corn until we can get a supply
Could any despatch be indl,ed with more Sabine
simelicity and patriotism? The italics above are
our own for we wish it to be impressed, that IN
a condition calculated to unnerve the bcldest, the
daun,less captain t~ruthfnlly says, without taking
upon himself unnatural feelings, that it was Every
unpleasant Was ever Colonel or General Cass
thus situated for the sake Of his country or did
| his valor or patriotism ever redece HIM to the he
cessity of eating green corn? No, indeed!
. Niles, in commenting upon the attack of Foit
Harrison, says the design of the Indians twas
completely bafied by a handful of men under Cap
tain Taylor, through great prudence and courage
Maj. Gen. Hopkins also says, in a letter to Gov.
ernor Shelby: ''The firm and almost unparalleled
defence of Fort Harrison, by Captain T.. Taylor,
has raised for him a fabric Of character not to be
affected BY my eulogy." i.
This is an outline Of the feeling prevalent. in 1912
for the character of Zachary Taylor. There SEEM
ed TO be no one who doubted the sincerity of his
patriotism, or the straight foisan1 manliness of bis
actions: We cannot say as much for Col. Cass,
for it appeared, among other things, that loud con-
demnation prevailed for the part he acted at De.
troit, and in consequence of his repairing to the
seat Of Government, and giving HIS statement Of
the surrender, in which he indirectly Landed himself
and prejudiced the public mind against his cons
mander, however culpable he might have been, be-
fore he had an opportunity to makeihis own stste.
ment. We premise such to have been the state OF
rebukeful feeling against Cass from the fact of his
addressing a lette, to the editors Of the National Lr>
telligencer, dated November 20, 1912, in which he
writes in a manner as to produce the impression
that he had been accused of deception or subster.
fuge. The whole letter is made up of artful and
adroit sentences, dove-tailed together, and prov
ing mother more than the writer wished to deceive