The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1848-09-12
GEN. TAYLOR-HIS WRITING.

The Locofocos and Barnburners, and an &C.
casional Wing, affect to doubt Gen. Taylors
ability, to write decent English, and although
they admit that his public dispatches, and
some of his letters are excellent in style and
composition, yet they insist that they were all
written by Major Bliss, or some other friend.
Now the fact is the Old Hero does his oTn
lorighting, as rcH as his oirn fighting, 1eithout
shrinking from responsibility, and we proceed
to give you the proof of this assertion. Read
the evidence.
Col. Gibson, an old and distinguished officer
Of the army, states to Mr.. Crittenden:
81 have been for many years associated with
Gen. Taylor in military service, and frequent
" on courts martial and OF inquiry with him,
and Gen. Taylor always drew up the proceed
lngs and reports Of the courts"
John c. Spencer of New York, late Secreta.
ry of War, in letter of his published in the n
Y. Courier says:
"You ask me to communicate the opinion
which you understand has been expressed BY
me, In reference TO the attalnments of Gen
Taylor, derived from his correspondence with
the War department during the time ii was In
my charge. Ii is very tue, have often stated
my high opinion not only of the sound judg
ment and unsurpassed discretion Of Gen. lay.
| Tor, but also of his capacity as writer; and
when doubts were cast upon the authorship Of
the admirable dispatches which came from
Mexico under his name, declared unequivo-
cally my thorough conviction that he was the
author of them. And stated my reasons fol
this conviction; that his official letters and
other communications which had fallen under
my observation contained the same condensed
yigor of thought and expression, the same pc
culiarities of style, and beauty, and force OF
language that characterized his Mexican des
patches; and that, from circumstances person
ally known TO me, was certain that he could
not have had the aid in writing the letters and
communications referred to, which some oil
the newspapers alleged had been rendered to
him in Mexico. This opinion now deliber-
ately reiterate. You and | know perfectly
well that persons who are in the habit of lite
rary composition can detect the style, manner
of thought, and turn of expression of writer
after having been acquainted with some Of his
productions, with a certainty at least equal tC
that with which an expert in penmanship car
decide upon the signature of one whom he has
seen write his name.
II do not mean to deny that Gen. Taylor
like Gen Washington, and like every othel
modest man, may have had the aid of literar,
friend In looking over his dispatches, WRITER
as they must have been, under great excite
ment and sometimes in haste; and that frient
i may have erased a redundant word of phrase
or rounded period. II this be evidence of in
capacity. who shall escape? 1t is notoriou
that the writings Of Washington; and particu
larly his Farewell Address, underwent the re
vision of Gen. Hamilton; and that the message
and public communications Of every othe
President have always been subjected to tn
critical examination Of his Cabinet. Indeed,
do not hesitate TO say that the man who will
submit important public papers to the publ.
scrutiny without the revision of a friend, wheI
it can be obtained, will eyince more presump
/ ton than good sense
| "For forty years Gen. Taylor has been in tn,
military service OF the country; more thar
thirty years of the time in garrison and a
posts, where in time of peace he has mac
abundant leisure.--His habits are admitted OF
all sides to be exemplary, and he to be anything
but an ipdolent man.--Wbat then, have prob
ably been his occupations during the tediou
days, weeks, months, and years ofgarrson du
! ty? The answer to the question may be foun
in the rich, manly. and condensed thought tina
makes his compositions models of epistolarl,
writings"
Major Bliss states that "every despatch dur
ing the campaign was written by the Genera
himself, and the most ever did was to dot al
/ or cross a {.
Is more proof necessary to establish the fact
that Gen. ylor does his own writing.
| GEN. CAss-RIvER AND LAKE IMPROVEMENT