Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1848-05-12
rCnntin,.ed from first page.1

prived officers under you OF tne'i 80 -
for oond and sufficient reasons, WIN SUISSE
oua9t annroval. YOU may now ana at any
time. do the same thing without any reason
Ivhsfever. and if the President lnterposes 10
correct the procedure. you have Just cause
TO complain of an indlgnlty, and right 10 ar
raign the War Department.
As your animadversion upon the tone Oh
nv letter is probably not blow aimed at a
much more copspicuous object, to be reached
through me, ought, perhaps 10 pass II WIN
ont notice. On revision of that letter, can
not perceive that it is not entirely respectful
in manner and language. The views Of the
President are therein confidently expressed,
because thew were confidently entertained. II
seemed to be admitted by you, that eff dicta-
ted TO the greenest general of the recent ap-
Monuments" the letter would not have been
exceptionable. | was not aware that it was
nv duty to modify and graduate my style, so
as to meet. according to your fastidious views,
the various degrees Of greenness and rpeness
of the generals to whom am required 10 con-
yey 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 being censured for your course in relation
TO Colonel Harvey, you say: :" am now re-
buked for the unavoidable-nay, Wise, II II
had not been unavoida ble-releaSe, on pa
"role, of the prisoners taken at Ccrro Gordo,
"even before one word of commentator from
government had reached this army on &C
"Count of its gallant conduct IN the capture
"of those prisoners" Accident alone-not any
oversight or neglect on my part-has given
YOU the apparent advantage of the aggravation
which YOU have artfully thrown into this
charge My letter commencing yourself and
the gallant army under your command for the
slo,iens achievement at Cerro Gordo, was
written and sent to you on the 18th of May
eleven DAYS DeiuiI19 ..hat which you are pleased
to consider as containing reDunG.
But meet the main charge with a positive
denial. You never were rebuked for dlschar-
ging the prisoners taken at Cerro Gordo This
issue can be tried by the record All that was
ever said on the subject is contained in the
following extract from my letter OF the 3lst OF
May:
"Your course hitherto in relation TO priso-
ners of war, both men and officers. in dischar-
cling them on parole, has been liberal and
kind but whether it ought to be still longer
continued, or in some respects changed, has
been under the consideration of the President,
and he has directed me to communicate TO you
his views on the subject. lie is not una
ware of the great embarrassment their deten-
ton, or the sending of them to the United
States, would occasions; but, so far as relates
to the officers, he thinks they should be de.
tanned until duly exchanged. In that case, il
will probably be found expedent to send them
or most of them, to the United States You
will not, therefore, except for special reasons
in particular cases, discharge the officers who
may be taken prisoners, but detain them with
YOU, or send them &c tic United States, as you
shall deem most eXpedient."
If | understand the force of terms there is
nothing in this language which, by fair inter
probation, can be made TO express or imply a
Tebuke. | cannot conceive that any mind
other than one of diseased sensitiveness, over
anxious to discover causes for complaint and
accusation, could imagine that anything like a
rebuke was contained in this extract; yet on
this unsubstantal basis alone rests the charge
over and over again presented, that you were
rebuked by the War Department for discharg
ing the prisoners captured at Cerro GOrdo If,
in case where it was so easy to be right
and so difficult to get wrong, you could fall
into such an obvious mistake, what may mo-
be expected from you in other matters where
your perverted feelings have freer and Wi
der Tange'
Before considering your complaints for not
having been supplied with sufficient means OF
transportation for the expedition against Vera
Cruz, will notice your &c four memorials" &c
the War Department, in which you demon
strated, as you state, that &C Vera Cruz was
the true basis of operations, and that the enc
mys capital could not probably be reached
from the Rio Grande."
cannot discover the pertinency OF your al,
fusion TO these four memorials, except it be &c
put forth claim to the merit of originating
the expedition against Vera Cruz, and Of be.
ing the first to discover that the most practica
Bile route 10 the city of Mexico was from tina
point on the gulf; but your known abhorenc'
for a "pruriency of fame not earned " ough
10 shield you from the suspicion of such al
infrmity.
Tam sure you are not ignorant of the fact
but if you are it is nevertheless true-that ih'
expedition against Vera Cruz had been 10
some time under consideration that grea
pains had been taken to get information as t.
the deiences of that city, the strength Of tn
castle, and the difficulties which would atten
the debarcation of troops; that maps had beer
procured and carefully examined that persons
who had resided there, and officers of the ar
my and navy, had been consulted on the sub
ject, and the enterprise actually resolved OF
fore you were thought of 10 conduct it.
AS early as the 9Th of July, 1916, within
two months after the declaration of war, AM
before the main body of troops raised for it
prosecution had reached the scene of opera
uons, considerate attention had been given Il
that subject. On that day, letter from th
department to Gen'l Taylor thus alluded to
movement from Vera Cruz into the interior 0
the enemy's country
IF, from all the information which VOL
may communicate TO the department, as vel
as that derived from other sources, it shout,
appear that the difficulties and obstacles 10 tn,
conducting of a campaign from the Rio Grande
the present base of your operations, for any
considerable distance into the interior of Mex
leo, will be very great, the department will
consider whether the man invasion should no
ultimately take place from some point on tn
Coast-saY 1ampicO, or some other point il
the vicinity of Vera Cruz. This suggestion
IS made with view to call your attention +
It, and to obtain from you such information a
you may be able to impart. Should it be de
termlned that the main army should nvad
Mexico at some other point than the Ri
Grande-say the vicinity of Vera Cruz;
large and sufficient number of transnort vas
sells could be placed at the mouth Of tho RI,
Grande by the time the healthy season sets !,
say early in November. The main armv
with all its munitions, could be Transported
leaving a sufficient force behind to hold am
occupy the Rio Grande, and all the towns an
provinces which you may have conquered be
hot f,ron V,,4l H.. r Il