Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1848-06-08

h panment." This precedent does not, in my iudg
= ncnt, change the aspect Of the present case -
e Col Harvey was not "nfrm, uninstruced, anc
] Inefficient you did not assign and in Difference
t to the known opinion Of the army and country
e you dd not venture TO assign, that reason for de-
$ posing him. do no, understand the force of you
u logical deduction, that because YOU, on former
: occasion, had deprived officers under you Of lhe
+ commands for good and sufficient reasons, will
! subsequent approval, you may now, and at any
r time, do the same thing without any reason what
I ever and if the President inerposes 10 correct
/ the procedure, you have Just cause TO complain
, oil ndlgnlly and light TO arraign the War De
pormenL
AS your animadversion upon the tone Of my let
. Ter is probably blow aimed at much more con.
spicuouS object, 10 be reached through me, ough
perhaps, TO pass il without notice. On revision Of
that letter, cannot perceive Tint il ia not entirely
| respectful in manner aud language. The views oil
the President are therein confidently expressed
! because they were confidently entertained Ii
seems to be admitted by you, that "if dictated 10
the greenes general of the recent appointments,
| the letter would not have been exceyliOnabe
was not aware that it was my duty 10 modify and
} graduate my style, so as 10 meet, according to
your fdstidous views, the various degrees of green
ness and ripentss Of The generals 10 whom am 70.
quired 10 convey the orders Of the President; and
for any such defect in my official communications
, have no apology to offer.
in the same letter, wherein you complain Of be.
ing censurcd for your course in relation 10 Col
Harvey, YOU say: 81 am now rebuked for the un.
AZ odahle-nay, wise, if 1t had not been unavoid-
dbie-relcase, on parole, Of The prisoners taken al
Cerro Gordo, even before one word Of common.
datlon from government had reached This army on
account Of liz gallant conduct in the capture Of
those prisonoss.' Accident alone-not any over.
! sight or neglect on my part-has given you the ap-
parent advantage OF the 0ggavaiion which you
have arfully thrown into this charge, My letter
commenting yourself and The gallant army under
: your commend for the glorious achievement a,
Ccrro GOrdo, was written and sent 10 you on the
10Th Of May eleven days before which you are
pleased TO consider as containing 4 rebuke.
But meet the min charge with positive de-
! NAL. Ion never were rebuked for dischargng The
prisoners taken at Cerro Gordo. The issue can be
tried by the record. All that was said on tho sub
lect is contained in the following extract from my
letter Of the Slst of May:
, "YOur course hitherto in relation to prisoners OF
war, both men and officers in dscharging them
on parole, has been liberal and kind bu, whether
it ought 10 le still longer continued or in re.
speCts changed, has been under the consideration
Of the President and he has directed me TO COM
municate 10 you his views on the subject Tie is
not unaware of the great embarrassment Of their
detention, OF the sending Of them to the United
States would occasion; butt SO far as relates to
the officers, he thinks they should be detained I'M
Ill duly exchanged. In that case, it will probably
be found cxpedient TO send them, or most Of
them, TO the United States, as you shall deem it
most eSppden,,"
If understand the force OF terms, there is moth
ing in tins language which, by fair Interpretation,
can be made 10 express or i9pHD ehRSHke, CAR
not conceive that any "'"u' o."t, '''"' W. -
causes for complaint and accusation, could mag.
, inc that anything like a tebuke was contained IN
I this extract; yet on this uusubs,anlial basis alone
rests the charge, over and over again presented
that YOU we've rehuked by the War Department
for discharglng the prisoners captured AT Ceuc
Gordo. II, in a case where il was so easy 10 be
right, and so difficult TO get wrong, you could fall
, into such an obvious mistake, what may not be
expected from you in other matters where your
perverted feelings have irccr and wider range
Before considering your complaints for not hav.
Q Ing been supplied with sufficient means OF trans
I pOrlaton tor the expedition against Vera Cruz,
, will notice your "four memorials" 10 the War
. Department., IN winch you demonstrated, as YOU
; state, that "Vera Cruz was the true basis Of ope-
! rarons, and that the enemy's capital could no,
cannot discover the per,nency of your nlluson
10 these -four memorials, excep, it be TO nn' fnr'h
a claim TO the merit OF organizing the expedition
against Vera Cruz, and Of being the first to dIscov-
er that the most practicable route to The city OF
T Mexico was from that point on the gulf; but your
known adherence for a "prurenct Of fame moi
] earned" ought to shield you from the suspicion oil
f such an n6rnity.
$ am sure you ate not ignorant Of the fact.--bu
4 ia ,bnla
j dlon against Vera Cruz had been for some time
under consideration; that great pains had been ia
= ken In get information as 10 the de(cnces Of that
CITY, the strength Of The castle, and the dilicute.
il which would attend the debNrkatun Of troops; thai
- uaps had been procured aud carefully examined
that persons who had resided there, and officers Of
the army and navy had been consulted on The
D subject md the enterprise actually resolved or
= before the date Of your first memoir, and before
$ you were thought Of to conduct 1t.
, As early as the 9th of July, Elsi6, within two
mouths after the declaration of war, and before the
r main body Of troops raised for lis prosecution had
+ reached The scene Of operations considern,e atien-
ton had been given 10 that subject On that day,
. letter Gom this department, TO General Taylor,
3 thus alluded to movement from Vera Cruz INTO
the interior Of the enemys country:
"lf, from all the Information you may commu-
from other sources, it should appear that the diff
culties and obstacles TO the conducting Of a cam.
pagn from the Rio Grande, the present base Of
YOUR operations, GOI any considerable distance IN.
to the interior OF Mexico, will be very great the
department will consider whether the main lnva.
sion should not ultimately take place from some
point on the coast-say Iam?tco or some other
point IN the vicinity of Peru Cruz. The sugges
lion is made with view TO call your attention TO
it, and 10 Obtain from YOU such information as YOU
may be able 10 impar Should be determined
that the main army should invade Mexico ut some
other point than the Rio Grande--say the vicinity
of Perd CIu2-a large aud sufficient number Of
transport vessels could be placed a! the mouth Of
the Rio Grande by the time the healthy season
seS ln-say early in November The main army,
wiki all its munitions, could be transported, leav-
ing a sufficient force behind to hold end occupy
the Rio Grande, and all the towns and provinces
which you may have conquered before that time,
In The event of such being the plan Of operations,
yor opinion is desired ms 10 what increased force,
II any will be required TO carry it out with success
W, ienrn the, army would be disembarkcd a few
niles distant Gom Vera Cruz, and readily invest
tho town in its rear, without coming within
the range of the guns Of the fortress Of San
Juan dUl|oa The town could be readily
lakdl by land, while the fortress, being invested
by hnd and sea, and all communication cut of,
mus soon fall. From Vera Cruz TO the city of
Mexico there is fine road, upon which the dill
genes or Stage coaches run daily. The distance
from Vera Cruz 10 the city Of Mexico is not more