Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-09-16

ton which ne subsequently, received in that charac
ter from the Wing National Convention Judged
by all we know of him, there is no sounder VINO
in the country than he.
As to General TAYLoR's abilities ;f not &c the
highest cultivation, they are far above medocrity.
II ne has never graduated at any college, he has
deeply studied human nature, and taken his degrees
in the school of practical wisdom. Though not 2
Master of Arts, he is master of many things that
will be more available than diploma in the
execution of the duties of the Presidential Of
flee. He has always been fond Of reading, and his
mind is well stored with useful information With
tenacious memory, he recollects all that lie reads
An evidence of this remarkable memory of his is
the fact that, in the course of his service, he has
never been at fault in calling an officers name:
once introduced, he has ever after not only known
the man, but his name.
A historical reference by Gen. TAYLOR, though
on minor point which astonshed the officers
around him-from one of whom we received it
will serve to show the extent of his reading. When
conversng about Captain BUTLER, OF the Sd Dra-
goons, grandson Of Col. PIERCE BUTLER, OF South
Carolina, who died in Mexico0 the General at once
remarked that the family Of Butler was Irish, and
descended from the Ormond family and of the
Duke of Ormond he told many anecdotes. The
gentleman from whom. we had this anecdoe having
expressed to one Of the Generals Staff, who was
present, his surprise at his possessing this sort of
information, the latter laughingly replied that he
himself had often been surprised, when at Fort
Scott, at the Generals frequent and appropriate al
lusons to historical facts, especially in reference to
the history of Great Britain. As to the Generals
scholarship, it would hardly be fair to cite in evil
dence the diction of his dispatches, in preparing
which, of course, his accomplished Staff would
have had some share. But the ideas of those
dispatches are all his own. No one but himself
could have said, writing to the War Depart
ment from Point Isabel, q shall march this day
with the main body Of the army to open a COM
/" munication with Fort Brown IF the enemy op-
"pose my march, IN whateuer force, 4 shall fight
4" him."
Our limits allow us but little room to speak with
any fitness of those individual features of Gen.
TAYLoR's character, known to us from unqueston-
able authority, which go TO show his rare personal
worth. few brief illusions to them must suffice.
Gen. TAYLOR is man of business habits. We
have it upon the authority of Gen. MARSHALL that
during his service in Mexico he was never known
to give up "a day to pleasure. No one ever visited
his quarters without seeing evidence of the industry
with which he toiled If his talented Adjutant was
surrounded by papers, so was the General. And,
though he would salute a visirer kindly, and bid
him with iapiliar grace to amuse himself until he
at leisure he never would interrupt the duties
which his station called him to perform.
In his association with Officers the General was
at all times frank and unreserved. No unnecessary
mystery shrouded the proceedings at Headquarters.
All of his movements were straightforward prompt,
and Efficient and, when once his mind was made
up, no ordinary circumstance could effect change.
No vaccillaiion or want of determination ever ex-
hibited itself. What he said, he meant; always
sincere, and, above all things, truthful.
When the ceremonies Of the capitulation of Mon
terey took place, the greater part Of both armies
present the exchange Of flags at the citadel
but, although the General was there, he was not
at all conspicuously so. Indeed, from his retired
position, one would have taken, him for a mere
spectator of what others had achieved. Tn his ride
to town that morning, distance of three miles, not
one WORD OF exullauOn escaped MIN. bul he
greatly grieved the heavy loss had sustain
ed in the three days fighting.
At the battle of Buena Vista (says Col. DAvIs)
when the day seemed if not lost, to be going against
our arms, General TAYLOR, amidst the thickest of
the iron hail, rode upon the plateau and calmly
surveyed the scene. Vast as were the consequences
Of that hour, he appeared to !, danger, expect
no harm. The excitement of the carnage over, the
same soul that could remain unmoved when his
friends were falling like leaves around him, which
could look unblanched upon the front OF the thun-
dering artillery, became the poor soldiers most
sympathizng friend; and the eye, so stern in bat
tie, was as mild as the tender-hearted matron's.
No one, says Gen. MARSHALL, who had seen
Gen. TAYLOR, after the battle of " Buena Vista"
as he ordered the wagons to bring in the Mexican
wounded from the battlefield, and heard him as he at
once cautioned his own men that the wounded were
to be treated with mercy, could doubt that he was
alive to all the kinder impulses of our nature. His
conduct in sparing the deserters from our own army
who were captured at Buena Vista, exhibited at the
same time, in remarkable manner, his benevolence
and his judgment. "Don't shoot them," said he;
" the worst punishment will infct is to return
q them tn the Meyican army.D