The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-05-16


The first letter dated Feb. 22Dreceived
from YOU at Vera Cruz, contained censuTe,
and / am nov rcbuked for the unavoidable
nav wise, If it had not been unayoidable-re-
lease. on parole, of the prisoners taken at Ger
TO Gorlo-even before one word of common
dation from the Government has reached tins
army on account Of It's gallant conduct in the
capture of those prisoners. No such com
incubation has vet been receive, Fee. 1913.
So. in regular progression, l may-should the
same army CALAMITY bear me into the
CITY of Mexico. in the next SIX or seven
weeks-which is probable, five are not arrest
ed bv A peace or a truce-look to be dismissed
from the service of my country. You VIII
Derceive that am aware Gas have long Deen)
of the dangers which hang over me at home !;
lint too am citizen OF the United States,
and well know the obligations imposed, under
all circumstances, by an enlightened patriot
ISM.
In respect 10 money, beg again toTeport
that the chief commissary Captain Grayson)
of this army has not received dollar from the
United States since we landed at Vera Cruz
He now owes more than 100000, and Is o.
bliged to purchase on credit at great dlsadv an
tages Tie chief qaartcrmastcr (Captan Ir-
VIM has received perhaps 100000 and laborS
under Ike membranes. Both have sold
drafts to small amounts, and borrowed largely
of the paw department, which has received 4
bout half the money estimated for Conse-
qucnty the troops have some four months pay
due them Our poverty, or the neglect OF the
disbursinn departments at home, has been made
known, to our shame, in the papers OF the cap
ital here. through a letter from Lieut.. Col.
Hunt. that was found on the person of the spe-
cial messenger from Washington.
The army is also suffering greatly from
the want Of necessary clothing-including
blankets and great coats. The new troops
Those who have last arrived)as destitute as the
others. were first tod that they would find 4
bundant supplies at New Orleans; next, at
Vera Cruz, and finally here; whereas We now
have. perhaps, thousand hands engaged in
making shoes and (out of bad materials and at
high cost pantaioons. These articles, about
5000 pairs of each, are absolutely necessary to
cover the nakedness of the troops.
"FcLruary IS, off Lobos, wrote TO Briga-
der General Brooke 10 direct the quartermas-
ter al New Orlaens TO send me large supplies
Of Clothing. March 1G-26-General Brooke
REPLIED that the quarte1master At New Or
leans had 'neither clothing ror Shoes" and
that he was fearful that unless they had been
sent out to you direct, you will be much disap-
pointed.
Some small quantity of clothing perhaps
ore-Gith of cur lgants-camo 10 Vera Cruz
from scrc quarter, and followed US to Jalapa
ard his place"
l must here especially remark that this re-
port, No. 80, though forwarded the night of
its date, (July 25,) seems to have miscarried.
Pcrcciving about November 26, that it was not
acknowledged BY the department, caused a du-
plicate to be made, signed it ard sent it off by
the same conveyance with my dispatch, No. So,
and the charges against Brevet Major Gener-
al Worth, Major General Pillow, and BreYet
Lieut.. Colonel Duncan, together with the ap-
peal against ne of the former. All the papers
are acknowledged by the Department, in the
same discretionary 13-that recalls me.
1t was that budget of papers which caused
the blow Of power, so long suspended, to fall
on a devoted head. The three arrested Off
GERS, and he who had endeavored to enforce a
necessary discipline against them, are all TO be
placed together before the same court the in
nocent and the guilty, the accuser and the &C.
cused, the judge and his prisoners, are dealt
with alike. Most impartial justice But there
IS / discrimination with a vengeancei While
the parties are on trial-if the appealer is to
be tried at all, which seems doubtful-two are
restored to their corps-one of them with his
brevet rank-and am deprived of my COM
mand I here can be but one step more in
the same direction throw the rules and articles
Of war into the fire, and leave all ranks in the
army free 10 engage in denunciations and a
general scramble for precedence. authority
and Executive favor. The pr 0nuncidmenio,
on the part Of my factious Juniors, is most tri-
urphant.
My 1ecall-undcr the circumstances, Sc
were punishment before trial, but TO be follow
ell by trial here. that may run into The Au
tumn, and on matters | am but partially per-
mtted to know by the Department and my
accusers-is, very ineeniOusly, placed on two
grounds: l. My own request, meaning that
Of June 4th, Quoted above, and there was no
other before the DepartmenDwhich had been
previously DULY ACKNOWLEDGED and rcbuk
inglv declined; ,. The arrest Of Brevet Ma
jor General Worth, for writing tothe Depart
Icnt, under the pretext and form of an ap-
peal an open letter. 20 be sent through me, in
which was grossly and falsely accused Of
malice and conduct unbecoming an officer
and gentleman in the matter OF the general
order No.349, on the subject Of putting letters,
for the newspapers at home.
On the second point, the letter from the De
partment, Of January l /, IS more than ingen-
ious; it is elaborate, subtle and profound-a
professional dissertation. with the rare merit
OF teaching principles until now wholly I'M
known to military codes and trcatises, and of
course to all mere soldiers, however great their
experience in the field.
have not, in this place, time to DO more
than hint at the fatal consequences of the nov
ell doctrine in question. According to the De-
partment ANY factious junior may, at his pleas
ure, in the midst of the enemy-usng the pre-
text and form Of an appeal against his COM
mander-inSult and outrage him to the erossest
extent,thongh he be the general in chief and
charged with the conduct of the most critical
operation, and that commander NAV not arrest
the incipient mutinecr until he shall have
first laid down his own authority and
submitted himself to trial, or wait at lesst
distant period of leisure for the judicial
examination Of the appeal And this Is pre-
cisely The case under consideration The De
partnent. in its eagerness TO condemn me,
could not take time to learn of the experienced