Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1848-05-02
MOTHER LrTrrp FRnM GENERAL

ANOTHER LETTER FROM GENERAL
SC0Tr--HlS CHARG ~ AGAINST THE
WAR DEPARTMENT..
; The Philadelphia News Publishes three
olumn letter from General Scott 10 the War
! Department. ia which be enuInerltes all the
I 'anous caUses O, complaint be has had from
F, ne time he left Washington TO the perioi Of
! his Suspension from the command of the army.
We, however, have only room for few eA
tracts:
MExlco, Feb. oath. 1913.
! Sn-On the 18th instant. | received your
] two letters of the 18th uliimo and immedi
stely issued the general order No. 59---a cops
enclosed evolving the command Of the
army in Mexico upon Major Gen. Butler.
As the officers detailed for the court OF in
quiry, before which am ordered toappear as
a criminal. are not known to have arrived in
the country, avail myself OF moments lei
sure TO recall some OF the neglecjs. disappolnt-
ments, injuries and rebUkes. which have been
inflicted upon me BY the War Department
since ms departure from Washington, NOvem-
Der %, 1916.
TO me the business of recTimination, how
ever provoked. has ever been painful. In
this summary | shsll, therefore, indulge in no
wanionncss Of language, bat confne myself
10 naked historical facts. leaving conclusions
to mea oi sense and CANTOR.
Early in the following January. asked that
general court martial might be appointed,
on The part OF the President. for the trial 0f
two ofiic rs, lnameA by me,) for conduct each
had committed that endangered in high de-
gree. The success, ci The impending campaign
and specially referred 10 tie anomalous and
fatal act OF Congrca, SHAY 20, 1890 which
| prohibited me. is .le ''accjser or prosecutor.
from ordering he court tor the trial OF the
cases. My application has never been noticed.
| This neglect, alone, ought early TO huee adj
monished me that ! had no hope oil support
at Washington, IN any attempt might make
! against certain oifcers,) 10 maintain neces-
sary discipline in the army was about to
lead into the field.
! Here follows an enumeration of the various
disappoihtmeus in respect to trans ports, siege
lrans.an ordnance stores he had experienced.
| lie then aiiudes to the ten regiment bill,
which was passed February IL, 1917, and
says:
''My distress may be conceived, by any sol
cier, on Learning ut jalapa, April, n, that the
whole oil that force had been sent, under Brig
adler General Cadwalader, TO the Rio Graude
frontier"
! Il is not exravagant TO say that, if Briga
dirr Gen, Cddwaiders forces had not been
| directed BY ue to the Rio GGande, where he
was made to lose, without any benefit 10 Maj
or Gen. Taylor, much precious time, might
easily have taken this city IN the month Of
June. and at one filth OF the loss sustained in
| August and September The enemy awaited
al Of ,..,I =, at Dauhlo IN ,ni-
lect to treble. 10 organize and discipline his
forces, as, also, 10 erect numerous and power
tu defences with batteries. Nearly all those
extraordinary preparations for our reception
were made after the middle OF June. And
il is known that the news OF the victory OF
Buena Vista reached Washington in time 10
eountermand Cadwalder's orders for the Rio
Grande, before his departure from New Or
leans. Two rifle ompanies, with him, re-
ceiged the countermand there, and joined me
early.
The letter then proceeds TO quote from sew
eral dispatches to the War Department., i'll
| which he complained bitterly of the treatment
he had received which, he adds, Were sent oil
BY the same conveyance with my d!spach Ne.
36. and the charges against Bgevet Major
General Worth Major General Pillow and
B,evct Lieut.. Col. Duncan. together with the
appeal, egainst me, OF the former. All these
are acknowledged By the department III the
same letter, Jan. 10, that recalls me.
1t was that budget OF papers that caused the
blow OF power, so long suspended. to tall on
a devoted head. The three arrested officers,
and he who had endsavored TO enforce nee
cessary discipline against them, are all TO be
placed together before the same court. The
innocent and the guilty. the accuser and the
accused, the judge aud his prisoners, are all
dealt with alike. Most impartial justice!-
But there is discrimination, with ven
gcance! While the parties are on trial-it
| the appealer is TO be tried at all, which seems
10 be doubuui--two are restored TO their corps
--one OF them with his brevet Tank--and
uin deprived OF my command There can be
but one step more in the same drectlon:-
throw the rules and articles ot war into the
fire, and leave all ranks in the army tree 10
J engage in denuncidtons and general scram-
bic Tor precedence. authority and executive
| layors. The pTonuaciGmeato on the par. OF
ny actlous Juniors, is most triumphant.
My rcca.i--uuder the circumstances So
we're punishment before trisI--but 10 be fol
lowed by trial here, that may run into the
autumu--and on matters am but partially
| permitted to know by the department and
| two grounds; !. My own request, nearing
| that OF June 4, Quoted above, and there was
| no other before ne Department. which had
been previously (Juiy ~ acknowledged and
rebukiHgig declined. z. ihe arrest OF BTevet
| Major General Worth for writing to The de-
paf[ment "under the pretext and form OF an
appeal, al open letter, 10 DC sent through
me, IN which was grossly and falsely accus
| Ell OF "mallcr" and conduct unbecoming an
| officer and gentleman, i'll the matter OF the
| general order, No. 349, on the soblect OF put
| ing letters Tor The newspapers at home,
| On that second point, the letter from the
| department, OF January 10, is more than in
| geHous--i, IS elaborate, sabte and profound
"a professional dissertation, with lie rare
| method OF teaching princlp'es until now
| wholly unknown 10 military codes aud treat
| Uses, and OF course 10 all soldiers, however
great their experience il the field.
| have moi III this place, time to do more
than hint al the fate consequences OF the nov
| ei doctrine IN question, According 10 the
| Department, any iactious junior. may, at his
| pleasure, III the midst Of the enemy--using,
. The preteXt aHd form OF an appeal against
his commander Insult and outage him to ,he
greatest eXtent--though he be the General in
Chief, and charged with the conduct of the
most critical operations; and that commander
may not arrest The iucipient mutinSer, until
| he shall have hrst ald down his own authorl-
| ty and submitted himself to trial, or wait
at least, until distant period OF leisure for
judicial eXamiuationot the appeal! And this
Is precisely the case under consideration. The
Department, IA It's easerness to condemn me,
could not take time to learn OF the experienc-
ed, that The Generdl-in- Chief, who once sub |
mits 10 all outrage, from junior must Law his |
account 10 suffer the like from all the vicious |
under hlm--at least, down To u rank that may |
be supposed without influence, in high quar-
ters beyond the army. Bat this would not |