Richmond palladium., 1848-06-28
p o LIT &c A L.


OUbCSou VouW0Cs0 UC0s
Col. Cass was attached TO the army unde
Cen Hull at the time Of its d~grscefnl and dis
asirous nder: and the only act OF heroic val
claimed for h i'm by hi. political fric nds. is ,
desperate charge upon a stump
Gen, Hull. in his official dispatch. gave a.
reason for the cowardly sure nder, among 9th
ers. that his army was out of provisions, sur.
rounded by Indians. and a superior British force
the only alternative was capitulation or xtsrvs-
ton and slaughter. After the surrender. Col
Cass hastened on I" Washington. prepared aud
published letter throwing the whole blame up
on Gen. Hull. In this celebrated letter Col Cass
says:
The state Of our provisions has not been gen.
orally unde rstood. Ou the day Of sure nder
had fifteen days provision Of every kind on hand
Or meat there was plenty in the country. and
arrangements had been made for purchasing and
grinding Flour. 1t was calculated ws could
readily procure three months provisions. ind~-
pendent Of ! 81 barrels Of flour and 300 he nd
Of cattle. which had been forwarded from Ohio
and which remained at the river Raisin, under
captain Brush, within reach Of the army.
This the statement after the sure nder
now we wish to call attention to Col. Cass'
statement betore-only four days before the
render la letter to his brother in law. Willis
august I-tIt, SOt. OuSS says.
Our situation is becoming critical. II tn ings
get worse. You will have letter from me, Civ
ing a particular account Of this business. Had
AS you may think our situation, il is still brse
than YOU believe. l cannot desce nd into partic-
ulars, lest this should fall into the hands of the
enemy.
Again in another letter to Gov. Meigs, Of same
date, he says:
"The letter Of tho Secretary Of war TO you, a
Of which | have Nou IN
preserve aud keep open the communication from
the State Of Ohio to Detroit. II IL ell in,por-
tant that II should be- kept open. Der gerry ef-
isfe"ee deprnds "po" IT,! Our supplies must come
from our State tOhio.l This country does mol
furnish them. In this is,ing state, nothing but
large force, of 1900 men ut least, will effect
the object "
This was the opinion Of Col. Cass four days
before tile surrender. tight then ss-H,ed "in-
ev'tabl-," and the heroic CO'oncI was either 90
frightened as to magnify their "eSitiesi sifwa-
fio",' else he torgot all Abou, it when the dan
ger past.
-Four days before the capitulatidn, his siiua-
ton had become criticaI-so "bad'' that he dare
not particuiarise, lest the enemy might find il
out. lie writes the Governor, that their supplies
must come from Ohio. as "this eommsrv does not
furnish them," and communication must he kept
ops"--''esr oery ezistenee depends spea IT," and
not less than 1000 men would effect IL. Now IL
this were not true, then Col. Cass must have
been "prodigously frightened" aud IL il were
true, how can il ue reconcied with his lettef af-
ter the surrender, or with his testimony the
trial Of Gen. Hull, when he stated "shat the sit
uation Of the army in respect to provisions war
a subject of frequent conversations betw cen Gen
Hull and tho of5icers--that he nevev kse,c or vn-
derstood that the army srss in rant. Or likely IA
Uanf."--Cin. Gaz.