The Democratic pioneer. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1845-1853, 1848-01-07


i ASS, Adj't General.
GENERAL ORDERS-No. $40.
HEADouARrERs OF THE ARMY.
Mexico, Nov. ~, lS47.
The attention of certain officers ofthis
army is recalled to the foregoing regula.
'tion, which the general-in. chief is resol,
we'd to enforce SO far as il may be 10 his
power.
As yet but two echoes from home OF
the brilliant operations of our arms 10 this
basin have reached us, the first in New
Orleans, and the second through Tam
pico newspaper.
1t requires not a little charity to be-
lieve that the principal heroes of the
and alous letters alluded to did not write
them, or specially procure them to be
written. aud the intelligent can be at no
loss in conjectnring the authors--chiefs.
parlisans and pet familiars. To the hons
or of the service, the disease--pruriency
of fame, not earned cannot have seized
upon half dozen officers (present all of
whom, il IL believed, belong TO the same
Two coteries.
False credit may, no doubt. be obtain
ed al home, By such despicable self,puf-
ings and malignant exclusion Of others;
but al the expense Of the just esteem and
consideration .of all honorable officers
who love their country, their profession
and the truth ofhistory The iudignation
of the great number ef the htter class
cannot fail, in the end; to bling down the
conceit and the envious 10 their proper
level
By command of Maj. Gen, Scott:
ii. l.. ScoyT, a. A., a. G. II
! The letters alluded 10 by Gen Scdit as
'the echoes from home are evidently the
"Leonidas" letter, and the other letter
which appeared first in tie pitsburg Post =,
was thence transferred to the Uulon aud
the whole then appeared in Tampico
paper, IN which Gen Sceu's order given
above, Lieut. Col Duucsh came out
promptly in the North American, with
the following frank avowal ofhis connec-
tion with the "Tampico letter" so called
According 10 the North American the
"Tampico letter" was "compile from
two letters written by officers of the army
in Mexico TO a brother officer in Pitts.
burg, for his eye alone" But read what
Col Duncan has to saw of il:
Mexico. Nov. IA, 1847.
To The Editor of the NORTH .8merican-
SIR: ! herewith present a copy of the
"Tampico letter" characterized as
''scandalous. "despicable s'malignant.
&c.. in general orders No 24s, published
in the American Star Of this morning.
To the end that the true character OF
this letter may be known, / desire that
you republish il in your paper; ard, that
none ofmy brother officers may innocent.
iy suffer for publication so obnoxious.
! hereby publicly acknowledge myself to
he the author. The substance oft com
/ municated from Tacubaya soon after the
battles, in private letter to friend n
Pittsburgh.
The statements in the letter are know
by very many officers of this army to be
true, aud canno, think that the puhlica.
tion Of truth is less likely TO do violence
TO individuals or the service than thy sup.
pression or perversion of il.
Justice TO Geo. Worth, (who is evi,
IDENTIFY one Of the heroes pointed at in
order No 349,) requires me to state that
he knew nothing whatever Of my purpose Sc
TO write the letter in question. nor that
IL had been written till well on its way to
its destination, he mover saw, nor did he
know. directly or indirectly, even the
purport Of one line, wori orsyllable. Of il
ill he saw it in print, and he is equalls
ignorant of my design TO make this de-.
claration which do, as ! wrote the let
ter. unprompted and on my own respou.
sibilitv.
Very respectfully, your ohedient servant
JAMES DpHcAN. Brcvet IT. Col, u. s. A.
After the publication of this letter. Col
Duncan was placed under arrest, and snb
seqnen,l, Gen, Pillow was arrested. and
next Gen. Worth, The North Amer can
is of opinion that Gen. Pillow was mt ar.
rested on account of the 'Leoninas letter,
but on the following grounds:
| There has been another arrest, that of
Gen Pillow, one Of the chefs furenamed
but not, as appears, on account Of the LETT
ters Of which he is the hero. We hear,
generally, that the cause was this: Gen
Pillow having taken exceptions TO the
finding of a court Of inquiry, which fnd>
ing has been approved by Gen, Scott ad
dressed paper relating to the matter to
tue Secretary of War, through the com
mander>ip chief, preserving a copy which
he avowea. 10 a letter accompanying he
had SEM 10, would send directly 10 the Sec