The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-01-19

torcal records of the country, and establishes oe
yond doubt, that TO President Taylor, and 10 'es'
dent Taylor alone is the honor of the victory OF Due
Vista due The writer distinguished himseh on
former occasion, in yndicatng General Taylor Hohh
the misrepresentation Of would be Heroes ana that
mo in snch n manner ms 10 merit the appreciation Of
the General himself for the military knowledge dis
played by the author
FEW REMARKS ON A POINT OF
HISTORY.
The leading article in the New York Evening Post,
of the jth instant claims for General John T.. Wool
The credit of The Battle of Buena Vista. The Cou-
fier aud Enquirer has called upon the General TO
disclaim the pretensions thus set up for him. As
YET no answer has been given TO this call; although
sufficient time is believed TO have elapsed since the
publication in the Post The inference therefore, is,
thai the General believes himself to be entitled to the
Sures thus sought to be placed upon his brow.
i claim of this kind, thus backed, becomes OF suf-
hcient importance to notice, and the object Of this
communication il 10 show how utterly unfounded
II is, in any view that can be taken of the Battle
in the purpose for which il was fought, the man
her in which 1t was fought or the results oft.
The Battle Of Buena Vista was, in fact, both lost
and WON'T comprised within il defeat and VIC
tory The public mind has rested on the latter, and
forgotten the former. But II took place neverthe-
less and what is most remarkable, considering the
pfetensions now made--but as certain, never
thsess, 40 Its remarkable is that Of this defeat;
which was swallowed up in the subsequent victory,
General John F. Wool was the hero, If there can be
the hero Of defeat Understand us clearly. We
do not mean 10 say that there was victory calned
BY us and defeat suffered by our opponents-bur
we mean 10 say that the Americans were defeated at
the Battle Of Buena Vista, while under the exclusive
command OF General Woo, and, accordingto all ha-
man probability would have stayed defeated II
General Taylor arriving the field after the defeat
had not taken matters out Of the hands of General
Wool and retrieved the disasters which our arms
had sustained under the leading Of the latter
In showing this We shall rely upon the official
documents, and upon the admirable work of Captain
Carleton called by the name of the battle-~-u work
which does honor the head and heart of its author
as well as TO the literature Of our country work,
too written BY who Is the friend and euloglsl Of
General Wool. +
five succeed in our showing, our readers " i'll not
be justified in supposing that General Wool did not
do his dury at Buena VISTA or thai he is not good
ofticeri bur they viii be perfectly justified In ex.
claiming at the folly of his friends in setting up The
claims they have done.
In the beginning OF 1917, the Americans were In
force al Tnmpico, under General Patterson md al
Monterey and SalIillo under General TAYLOR, while
the flower Of the Mexican army, commanded by
Santa Anna, was at San Luis Potosi. The Mexican
General was unable TO move against either of the
American columns. for fear OF the march OF The 9th
or upon San Luis +; but, when II was determined by
cur Government TO attack Vera Cruz and Patterson
left Tampico, and the best of Taylor's troops wer.
Withdrawn from him, Santa Anna made his mapni6-
cent march across the desert certain of crushing the
remnant of the army at Aqua Nueva, and retakina
in succession saho, Monterey, and all the places
IN our possession on the line of the Rio Grande-
getting back again, in time TO operate on the route
from Vera Cruz 10 the City OF Mexico. The plan
was worldly of great military mind and every |
chance seemed 10 be in liz favor; and so confident
was ts author Of success that he despatched, as he
advanced large force Of cavalry to get into the
rear Of our army by unfequented passes in the noun
ans TO be nreadiness to intercept thefugitves from
the battle he was about to fight
Withou, going into the details OF the campaign i,
is enough to say here that after crossing the desert
Santa Annals road TO Sallo and Monterey lav
through the valley, in which was the hacienda, or
farm house and out-buidings, OF Bnena Vista, from
which the great battle, fought HARDLY received It's
name.
In this valley Taylor determined to make stand
because the nature OF the ground admirably sui
ted TO The action Oh asnal army against large one
The battle, which was the result of this determine
ion had for its Object the par, of the Mexicans
and, the part Of Taylor to keep it closed against
them. The party, which did not accomplish its OBJ
ject was, OF course, the defeated one. II was not
necessary, in order 10 give Santa Anna the victory
that he should take the whole American army pris-
oners of war, or destroy i-not at all the opening
of the road 10 Sultlo was victory for the Mexican
General. So, on The other hand twas not necessa-
ry in order TO give Taylorihe victory that he should
capture his enemies or annihilate them. He was
.tta,a ~ l,,,t IT., IL
army, he kept the valley closed against the Mexicans
This Is necessary be understood If isno already
sufficiently plain to our readers. Battles are not
fought merely for the sake Of the noise and the kill
ing Of men, lat least not very o en,-but in view of
objects which are thought 10 justify them;- though
some doubt whether there any such objects. But
proceed -
The valley in question cannot be better described
than by supposing the reader to be standing on an
eminence looking down II. Before him. he would
see an apparently smooth surface, lying between
mountains on the right hand and on the left and
scanned along It's centre by the dry broad channel of
a stream, lying considerably below the general sur
face. If he now attempted to walk on either side of
the stream, and midway between il and the noun
tans, he would find that instead Of being smooth as
II appeared from distance, the ground was rayers-
ed by deep gullies running from the mountains TO
ihesstream serving swaer drains in The wet seasons
and having level plains, Of greater or less width be-
tween them. So that his road would be an m and
down one, across an alternating Succession Of plains
and gulies or rayines In this respec, he woull |
find the walk on the right Of the stream much worse
than on the left; and lie would come to the conclu.
sion that the Mexicans had done wisely when they \
placed the main road close along the left side Of the
stream, and across the months Of the ravines which
there opened or emptied, in wet weather, their wa.
ters into IL. Supposng, now, our reader TO be pass
ing along the road the stream would be close 10 him
On the right and on the left hand he would have the
mouths of the ravines, up which he would look 10
wards the mountains, alternating with high ground
u bluffs being the termnaons on that side Of the
plains we have described lying between the ra-
vines, He would sbserve, too, that one OF these
hinti. came much TO the stream than the 9th.
era, go near, indeed TO allow scant room for the
toaa at It's base and II he ever had military Idea
~ ms mind the idea would nt cross IT, that
tance $50
~ '"hi mat Ia ya Tina Sanvavsd Ia n,ir road