The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1848-08-23
A SKETCH or
THE LIFE IND frELIr SERNrES
General Zachary Taylor,
iht PtoFlt'k CaEiasIr FER Il.
PnKidfntY,
WITH CONSIDERATIONS IN Favor or
Ills ELECTION.
7ls cspifuEafiaa-il, pI,Dri,fv.

Tie cspituiasiaa-its Psspristy.
!, Early On The morning IL The 2flho Ser
lfihoer, Just as preparations were maxim
Tor renewal II The assault. Gag nfluc
announced Colonel Moreno, the hea,rr a
= message from Ampndia la The - General
In-ehlef Of lllr American sFmy." The pro
! position was. that he Mexican Genera
should hepermiilel TO evacuaIe The civ An,
) lis ioH. taking with him The psr,oasi an,
: niaisri'P Of war which remained. Gene
!. raj Taylor immediately stated his unwiI
/ iingness 10 aerede 10 his wishes, and pro
posed other terms, To which he require,
an answer by ~ O'Clock in The day. Be.
lore The hour arEited. Ampudia inlome,
General Worth, al whose quarters he was
Ia meet General 'faylor. ifhe wished. that
he was ready for the interview. They
met, and he adhered 10 the terms he had
; proposed, which General TayIor again
derllned. remarking. among other things.
".he fell he bad the CITY IN his hands. -
A commission of three frnm each side was
subsequently, named To adjust the terms.
This, after much complaint an.l equivoca-
iI"n on The part "f the Mexicans, resulted
IN capiInlaiiOn. 'he particulars of hich,
as they are generally known, il is unneces.
saIy 10 state. Honorable m the highes,
accepiation, il refereed credit on the ma.
lion, and spike volumes in commentator
OF those engaged in its peIleriion. Il les.
sened, certainly, tile evaporation of tlefeat
To the enemy; and clothed the conquest of
arms with the beautiful and more potent
charm Of magnanimily. Il did more il
stayed The march of destruction and car.
! mage, and prevented the horrors inciden,
to the assault and sacking of city, over
which The heart Of humanity las Too often
monrned, even in this advanced age of
civilization. II acknowledged the right and
obligations of Christian nature, which had
been otherwise outraged, aud put our sol.
diers in possession Of Monterey. in,bu-
ed with human feelings. and noi abs.ia-
lIzed with passion, and eager for booty
and revenge.
Notwithstanding these high considera-
tions in its favor, The Administration at
Washington did not approve il, and on the
18th Of October, Mr.. Marcy, the SecreIa-
ry Of War, wrote TO General Taylor, ITO
give the requisite notice that the armisiice
is To cease at once, and that each party is
at liberty 10 resume and prosecute hoslili.
ties without restriction" In yinticaiion
Of his conduct, General Taylor replied to
Mr.. Marcy, on the 9Th Of November.
His reply was clear exposition of the
whole transaction, and placed thigh above
doubt or cayil:
"The force (saij Gen. Tsylor) with which
advanced on Monterey, was limited, by causes
beyond my control, to about 5000 men. With
this force, as every military man must admit who
has seen the ground, Il tcas entirely impossible
TO Unrest Monterey so closely as 10 prerta! the
escape Of the garrison. Although the main CON-
munication with the interior was in our possess
sion, yet one route was open TO the Mexicans
through the operations, and could not be closed,
as We're also minor tracks and passes through the
mountains. Had we, therefore. insisted on more
rigorous terms than those granted, the result
would have been the escape of the body of the.
Me xiean force with the destruction of its srtille-
~ and magazines; our only advantage being the
capture OF few prisoners of war at the expense
OF valuable lives and much damage TO the city.
The consideration Of humanity wGs present in
my mind, during the conference which led TO the
and out,ceighed, IN my judgment,
the doubtful advantages to he gained by the re-
sumption Of the attack upon the town. This con-
clusion has been confirmed by inspection of the
enemy's position and means, since the surrender" ,
" At the date Of the surrender of Monterey, our
force had not more than ten days rations and
even now, with all our endeavors, we have not
more than twenty-five. The task Of. fighting and
Leating the enemy is aiming the least difficult that ,
ne encounier-the great question of supplies me- !
cessalily controls all the operations in country
ike this."s
These views were fully endorsed BY the .
American Commissioners, Col. Jefferson J
Davis and Gen. Worth: and, whatever
objections they may have met with here !
aore. the general voice of the country $
has since unequivocally approved them.
Tie Lieutenant General
The letter of Mr.. Marcy. TO which we
have alluded, was the prelude TO bolder
attacks on The reputation Of General Tay-
or. He bad grown too fast and too strong
n the affections ofthe people, not to pro-
'oke the jealousy and dstrnst of the poll
ical intriguers entrusted with the des,lnies
If the nation. Something was, therefore. ,
% be done to check his rising fortunes.
Accordingly, on the 25th of December, {
1916, when Congress was scarcely three
weeks in session, the President sen, in I
his message requiring the appointment of I
a General Officer to take command of '
Ill our military forces in the field" The q
special object in view, as subsequent de-
For Mr.. Marcy's letter and Gen. Taylor's re. {
lily, see Doc 1856, I'd sess 2ath Congress, vol. ".
Sxec. documents. C