The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-07-31

city one might fancy, from the triumphant decla-
ration Of tho Senator, that "they had carried the
Bishops palace and every fortress Of the eneny;"
that the Texan troops alone had stormed every po.
! siton in that quarter. But this would be grea,
| mistake. The Bishop's palace was protected by
batteries erected on three hilis-the nearest Fedora
cion-the next, Soldada the third, independen-
cia. The force employed against these positionsoon-
sisted at first, of four companies of the artillery
battalion and five OF Texas rifiemen. These were
soon reinforced by considerable detachmenis OF
regular infantry, and company OF louisiana Vol
| unieers A detachment Of regulars under Captain
smith, assisted by about fifty Texans, carried the
| first position. The main body moved on the as
saut of the second, where the Texans were quite
prominent. The next day six companies OF regu-
lars and about two hundred Texans assaulted the
| hird--thc hill Independence, where, says Gene
| raj Worth, "a well-directed and destructive hre,
followed by the bayoncts Of the regulars, and the
rush Of the Texans, placed in possession OF the
work" But the Bishops palace could not be taken
until after a part of Duncan's battery had been
brought andppcned on the massive walls:
! nave given this detail, sir, because / am not
/ willing that any shall fall into the mistake OF
supposing that all the laurels were won by Texas,
| when gallant men from every part OF the Union
! had large share in the danger and the glory OF
| these operations am very that the Senator
has had desire to dctract from the merits of the
troops from other quarters OF the Union, but In his
| ca gerness to maintain his attack upon General
| Taylor, he has banshed from view the men with
out whose efforts these victories would never have
been boased of.
The Senator complains OF a letter dated the loth
June lSi7 and addressed by General Taylor to
the Department Of War, in which he censures the
outrages committed by the returning volunteers
on the peaceful Inhabitants. But these were not
Texan troops They had been disbanded in De-
tober, 1916, and the only in the letter APP
plicable TO his constituents Is the in which he
says, "the modnted men from Texas have scarcely
made expedition without un warrantably killing
a Mexican" The Senate must remember with
what theatrical effect the Senator spoke of this
"killing Mexican" He seemed to think it was
| the same sort of pastime shooting bear! But
the General docs not speak OF the shock OF battle
of that unhappy necessity where it is the soldiers
stern butts sad duty to kill. He speaks of unicar-
rantabiy killing Mexican that s, of numbering
defenceless, unresising, peaceabc people, who,
in the practice ofciyilizcd war, not regarded
enemies in arms l believe the fact to be unde
niabe that these blcmishcs did rest the reputa.
ton Of the Texan troops-at all events, such
the reports made TO the commanding General.
And striking instance is set forth in the official
papers A Mexican lancer had been sent into Mon
tcrey, by his commander, with message to Gene
raj Worth. Scarcely had he executed his errand,
and left the presence of that officer. when he
shot from his h)rse and fell dead in the street.
The smoke of the discharge was seen to Issue
from the window Of n house. Two Texan officers,
one of whom Colonel Hays, entered the house
and found a Texan riieman with his gun just dis
charged. Their statement is TO be found among
the Congressional documents, fully proving The
fact. While we cannot but condemn such acts in
the strongest terms, we may find some palliation
in this, They were frontier men, leading wild,
hard life, very different from the easy, quiet life
which, in the long settled and more maturely civ
zcd portions Of the country, is supposed TO soften
the character. They have been engaged for many
years in fierce border warfIre with the Mexicans,
marked with mutual and extreme evaporation,
il ,-ial in such contests. They remembered the
wrongs wa"h they had suffered, the deadly strife
in which their frienI- had fallen, and the terrible
vengeance which had sometiuies overiaken captive
Texans. Ii natural, therefore, thst men drawn
from this portion of the country, whose mode Of
life had habitusted them TO sudden and summary
revenge, should indulge in excesses forbidden oy
the severe discipline of General Taylor's camp
But il was not ihe less the duty OF the commander
TO repress such disorders and outra and TO bring
them TO the knowledge OF his Government. II VIII
be remembered that, besides the general obligation
10 crrduct the with humanity, and 10 spare
the unoffendiag il the special duty OF the COM
manding general to treat with kindness all peace
able Mexicans. The Department Of War had ftr-
nishcd him with proclamation 10 the people oi
Mexico, in which they wero told that the army&f
tb. United States came ''to overthrow the tyrants
who have destroyed your liberties, but We come TO
make no war on the peoples OF Mexico" &c.
come among the people oil hexlco as Irlehd" Anu
republican brethren" &c.
So the Secretary Of War writes To General
Taylor, at different times as iolio~s; Ibe coun-
teracon Of these INJURIOUS imputations MI be your
g,yticuar duty first by a continuatio OF your just
and honorable conduct towards The people, ther
property" SC And again: " The Instructions
heretofore given have required you 10 treat WIN
great kindness the people" &c. The object oil uhe
Government was not merely the Observance oi al
the laws Of justice aud humanity, but the copelin
ton of the people, who were to be won 10 our III
tcrests by Kindness and that protection OF Pcrroh
and property which only could induce belief IN
the sincerity of declarations. but the laws oi
war the rights Of humanity, and the orders OF ue
General, were disrcgarded and violated ny soon VuV
AZ have mentioned, and by others OF not less
atrocity The complaints of General Taylor on tn
head were founded on special evidence, or ON INC
reports of his oficcrs, and such Information IL was
his duty 10 communicate 10 his Government nc
does not swell and magnify these charges by any
sort of crargcr3 lion, or by much CoinHcnt. nc
states the facts or the complaints SIMPLY ana
briefly and Just hIs duty required. SIR, II rs hot
to be supposed that he intended to describe an inc
Texans az marauders and mufderers. We kno"
that few lawlcss men, who know no touch "i Piy,
md indulge in unbridcd license, are enough 70
bring discredit upon whole corps. IL Is no won .
der that there should have been sufficient infusion
of such characters into the Texan regiments bring
rcproach upon them. ] regret that II was go anh
that the Senator from Texas thought proper to BRING
the subject the notice Of the Senate. IL was ou-
ried among the Congressional documents, and
would not have been alluded to by me, II the yinoi-
cation Of oneral Taylor from the senator charg's
/ had not made IL necessary. -
I, ,bink have shown. sir that tho people Of Texas
were not DETAINED by the President, and that IN re
! gard 10 them his conduct was marked by TIC SIM
/ picity, candor, and truth which markeu MS "n0io
! character
| I feel obliged now 10 notice another portion OF
| the Senator'S speech, because find that wren ar,
! gumcnts arc made here, and claims advanced, ana
1
! into acquioscencc in the argument, OF submission
| 10 the clsim-that which was only Argument grows
into demonstration and mere claim ripens INTO :
| right We have seen the evil Of this silence ia
many cases and more especially % to this Mex
| can war, which might have been avertcd, had the
Senate been bold and prompt TO resist the hrst
movements which led 20 IL. am not wiling by
| my silence 10 sanction demands or give authorlV
| 30 acts which do not approve will not De com
slled 10 argue the question Of the title OF IeRas
Tho whole country lying on the Rio Grande, WINCH
] has 80 often been discussed here, and IN WHICH
! havesporticipstcd But 6ud domapds mace snu
| positions assumed which think unwarrantaolc,
aud which prefer to contest at once. Tue Senator
! comedies "tIat orders were given, while we were
in state Of war With Mexico, for the Occupation oil
1 Territories and perhaps Of States, by military
! force" sc. lie admits that this wasfully Josthed
at the ne, but denies that It can be 80 In peace
And then lie says, "During the war the States were
] not in situation 10 give that security and pr0tec-
ton to the citizens that they were previously en-
! ablcd 20 do and, under the circumstances, con
siderable portion of the State of Texas was occu-
pied by the forces of the United States and placed