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

to employ you with the army in an part of Mex-
co.
1t was never contemplated here 10 strike at the
City Of Mexico from the line occupied by General
ray Tor, or through any other except that from
Vera Cruz. If the war was to be pushed to that
extent, II required no elaborate demonstration no
profound military talents nothing more than com
mon sagacny and very slight reflection on the sub.
jet 10 see the propriety aud necessity Of making
vera Cruz the base Of operations,
An alleged deficiency Of means 10 transport the
troops in the expedition 10 Vera Cruz seems to he
most prominently presented, and most confidently
relied on 10 sustain you charge against the War
Department for negccling this branch Of its du-
! ties.
! issued, it seems 10 be admitted, the proper
order, so far ms The means Of transportation we've
TO he drawn from the North; bnt The allegation is
lha! it was issued too late, and was never exeCu-
ed. II was issued al least four days before You
arrived at New Orleans on your way 10 the army
| If promptly executed it was n reasonable calcua
ton that the "ten vessels, alluded TO in your let.
ter, would have arrived in season 10 receive the
troops as soon as you could collect them from their
remote and scattered positions in the interior Of
| Mexico, bring them 10 the seacoast, and prepare
for their embarkation. Whether an order for ships
10 be sent out IN ballast, issued the 10Th Of De-
eember, was or was not in season for tho service
they were designed for, depends upon the tine
when the expedition could be got ready TO sail
To determine this, regard mus, be paid to what
you required 10 be done preparatory to tho eSpe.
dition, rather than 10 what on may have said on
that subject.
A reference 10 Two or three Of your acquisitions
will show that no rational hope could be enter.
tanned that The expedition would set forth before
the middle or last Of February. You required MS
one lttn Of the outfit one hundred and forty surf
boas--alI to be constructed after you left Wash
ington Though The department urged less
number, You insisted on all, You estimated the
expense of each at $500; and thought, by putting
the principal ship yards on the Atlantic coast in
rcquis,on, they might be constructed by the Isl
Of Jannary. To show what reliance was 10 he
placed on your calculation, refer 10 the fact that
though due regard to economy was had in procur
ing these boats, each cost on an average $3.50
nearly five fold your estimate. Concedmg that
erred much less rs to tho time within which they
could be constructed nay, more, admitting they
could have been ready by the first Of january
and sooner you did not expect they could be made
by no reasonable calculation could they have
rea shed tho Coast Of Mexico before the first Febru-
airy. The expedition could no, 60 forth without
them. In your letter TO me dated the 2S!h Febfu.
airy, of Iobos you state that but small part Of
the transports engaged at New Orleans, under
your orders Of the 2Sth December, &C., had arriy-
ed and "not one Of The len ordered by your (my)
memorandum Of the 18Th Of that month, and the
,rhole ,yere due at The Brdzos on the 18Th Of Jan.
uary" Having thus shown, by your own opin.
ion, that under my order "tha tea vessels" ought
to have been at the BRACES at least fifteen days be.
fore the expedition could hare been ready 10 sail,
| have vindica,ed myself from your charge Of hav-
ing neglected my duty BY not issuing that order
GGaer dse G2PsI i you'd dhS aEHe
urruge, aud resulted in no public benefit.
| But the graver part of this charge is, that none
Of these ten vessels" ever arrived. "Rely ing
| (you say in the letter under consideration upon
rhom Che ten vcssels) confidently, the eubarka-
ton was delayed IN whole or in part nj the Brazos
and Iampico, from the Is Of January to the OH
OF March, leaving it was feared, not half the time
needed for the reduction Of Vera Cruz and fits castle
before the return Of the yellow fever" 10 whom.
soever the caamitous consequences OF the noh ar
rival Of these "lGn vessels" and your "cruel dis
appointment" in relation 10 them, ale imputable,
he has certainly involved himself in a serious lie.
sponsbility ! hope 10 remove the whole of it
from The War Department" and entertain some
approximations that it will fall in part upon tho
commanding general of the expedition.
The execution Of the whole Of this most difficult
branch of duties npperaining ,oa military expedition
- providing for transpoltal om-is, lay the dlsribu-
ton or the husncrs in the war Department, allot
ted 10 the Quartermas,cr General. AS an cape
| dirion against Vera Cruz had been resolved on
some time before YOU were assigned TO take COM
mnnd oft, Gen. Jcsnp had gone 10 New Orleans 10
be in The best position to make the necessary pre-
para,ion for such an enterprise. From his great
knowledge and long experience in military affairs,
not only in his appropriate department, hu, as a
commander in the field, the government thought il
fortunate tina: YOU could have the advice and
assistance Of so able counS'er
Your suggestion that it might DO necessary 10
send ships in ballast from the mouth for transports
was not neglected OF unheeded nv mo. Whether
ii would be necessary or not, depended, accord
| ing TO your statement; 10 me- upon tho means Of
transportation which could be procured II, New
Orleans, &c, My first step was to write 10 The
Quurtormascr General, thea at that place, for in
formation on that subject. In nv letter 10 him Of
the lllh of December said:
"It is expected that most Of the vessels in the
service of the quarermaster's department can be
used az transports for the expedition. II will be
necessary that the department here should know
what portion Of the transportation can be furnished
by the ordinary means which the quaretnasers
department has now under its control for the pur-
poses Of its expedition have to request that in
formation on this point should be furnished With
out DELAY.
"The expense Of procuring transports from tho
Atlantic cities will be cXorbian,. Freight is very
high, and most Of the good vessels are engaged for
the ordinary purpose Of commerce."
II is important 10 bear in mind that you saw this
letter first on your arrival at New Orleans. IN
writing to me from that place, December q, YOU
observe" 81 have seen your letter Gin the hands
of "Lieut, Col. Iiun,) to the QuarcrmaSier Gen.
eral, dated the lth' You could not mistake it,
object, because ii was clearly expressed. asked
distinctly what means of transportation for the eX
petition could he furnished at New Orleans. &c,
aud referred to the expense and difficulty Of pro
curing transports from the Atlantic cities You
could not, therefore, hut know that my couse as
to sending ships in ballast from the north would be
regulated by the Quartermaster Generals reply -
W lille Whiting for this information, and in order
10 prevent delay, and he sure no, to deserve the
lmput'ton YOU now cast upon me, issued the
order Of the 18th Of December, TO which YOU re-
fer, knowing that it could BIO modified and con-
formed to the eAigences Of the service, according
to the answer which should receive from Gen
Jcsup. His reply is dated the 9th Of December,
and in it he says:
las troops that may be drawn from the army IN
der General 1dylo' and for all the ordnance
stores, and other supplies, which may be drawn
either from this depot uhc Brazos) or from New
Orleans The public transports--l mean those
owned by the United States-thst can be spared
for the contemplated operations, it is estimated,