The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-01-14

upon my statement alone. submit Whether II Is not sus
tanned by quite good vouches gave the Senate 10
understand had for IT,
will refer. Mr. President, to another branch of
%y GSfr o% Noh i cona
MAkGum said he had impression on his mind, derived
from the public prints thai not only was there pnblca
ton made by General Lane which reflected upon General
Tayors personal honor but which went TO the extent OF
impeachment Of his veraciy man and that il
Governor Lane ought TO have been removed To these
remarks The senator from Indiana, not IN his place,
Mr., BRIeHr,l replied;
Il did misunde stsnd the honorable from
North Carolina did say that he asserted that Gene
declaration but hyporhetcay that Gen Lane had
so. he ought have been removed concur with him in
that opinion unless he stated the truth III
Now, on full proof being made, first, that General Lane
made publication impeachng the veraclty OF General
Taylor, and secondly that such publication was not
true. the senator from Indiana. instead Of condemnihg.
joins with us ii sustaining ,hs IsQYa Of GsRsls IApe
and will agree that his removal was not prosrfpnon
on the part OF General Taylor. but the performance OF
establish will, as briefly and as hastily as possible,
give the facts necessary sustain them and having done
shall leave General Lane, and dismiss this branch Of
the case.
In the first place | TO inquire, did General Lane
make publication which impeached the veraclty OF
General Taylor will read few extracts published
during the eectioneerng contest OF 1siS after General
Lane appointed to oice, and few days before he
set out for Oregon which will satisfy every that he
did only gnsinuae Impeachment OF General Tay-
ors veracy but that he mpeached it directly and in the
grossest terms
EXTRACT. n.
sTo THE PUBLIC lit has become necessary that should
the public and ask its candid attention
subject Of vital importance TO Iadana and the brave
troops which she into the field during the war with
that il is SOY resolved upon disgracng themselves
and tho OF their nativity adoption by the pobca
garng falsehoods and statements, wholly unounded
TACT, put forth the attempt 10 secure mere partisan
triumph IaAsdt The samds' ,rhh. from nine 10 time
haze been psrpehad by different persons, both IN Gctd
document. oherwise upon the second Indiana reg
ment, elave to their conduct in the ba'e OF Baena Vista
SECOND EXTRACT.
seen TAYLOR in his report of that battle was mistaken
facts and has made statements wholly at variance
with hem particularly with regard the conduct Of that
If he had hasened TO repair the injury thus in
hcted he became appnZed of IT, the present
statement from myself would n NOT have been necessary
repeating the most offensive and that. too
Of facts 100 nuTo"s and TOO osE authenticated to bs
.There are material facts known every upon
cid. kno,on TO Gen 1hyor ehsn he made his report
and which mbodied in report, which facts Gen
Taylor aliude wits Frst that the regi-
Immediately rallied and next that they fought all day
Read again in the above extracts and
ast them Gen Taylor they could NOT be rallied and
took farther pa IN he ao'i9n & Rs , Of men
is not true"
. FOURTH EXTRACT.
. will give his language Extract from his letter
to G. G.. Dunn, dated .1 tM.
".BAros RousE, March "A, ls4s.
"My confidence in the second regiment, officer. and
men, still nainained, after the occurrences of ihe
most experienced troops have at times been most unac-
coun,ab subject and yielded panic by no means COM
promising their reputation for bravery
Extract from hisIetter TO Defrees, dated
"BAroS ROUGE March 8, 1873
"'ln all armies the best and most experienced troops
have been at times subject to panic. under murderons
probable, may have been the case at the time in
ms charge Of eouardet repeated again aud agutn,
AVID so does uho has carefully
and WITHOUT prejudice sIdniatd the case
Tay
fdencs in that regiment and Intended to place them IN
General Taylor asserts that nothing has ranspred
since he made bis report has statement been made
TO him in official shape which affects It's accuracy
The Of these as'tion' Ihaps shopn TO BE- utrty de
poid'of ruth"
suppose might be excused from commenting upon
these further than TO that they convey very
truly the temper and character of the publication 1t IS
from beginning end studied and abored attack upon
the verac,y Of General Taylor In every paragraph
which have quoted there is at least an indirect accusa
ton Of fasehood in three OF them the charge is direct
In the first he charges General Taylor with adndertng be
Indiana militia in official document; Tor that the hrst
paragraph refers hun is made clear by the second and
General Lane understood well enough that there could
be no silnder in official paper unless II were ma.
icousy false. In the beginning OF Tue second extract
he soens down the phrase and that General lay
p,isfaksa as 10 The ficts, aud nude report uhHfy
al par,acs wah them = hut he repented OF the o
mitigating phrase aud was eager TO relract IT, he adds
Ii he had hastened to repair the injury thus inflicted as
soon n bs appfi-ed Of H the present statement
IRON ny eef would not have been necessary. But, n,-
stead OF c0TrtdlBg rfnf ne hdd Rsd
ing in he most ofsas'pe manner, and that TOO, IN The
face Of act too humorous and TOO vei auhenieated 10 DC
dsn,ea or evoded."
The amount OF this passage is, that General Taylor
made, By mistake report doing great injustice to the
Indiana regiment; he mistaken 10 the facts, and
made a report trhoiy al variance n Hen HIS report
proved 10 be by the most indspuabie evl
dence but he only refused TO H. but perssed
IN Yepeating e most offensive manner, after ne kneD
false; that is 10 say General Taylor repeated
fa.ehood he knew it to be false, slandering the
reputation of a body OF brave men who fought with
hun al The battle of Buena Vista, and helped him 10
achieve that crownng act OF his military fame That is
the chages wilful ialscbood to blast the military
taion OF these men
mistaken at all but that he made the alleged false
report. knowing IL to be false lie says; There two
material facts known to every upon the field knopa
10 General Taylor en he made has report first that the
regiment Immediately rallied and next that they fought
all day Gen Taylor says, they could NOT be roited,
and took no further part the action except handful
of who rallied under the gallant Colonel Bowles.
/" TINS STATEMENT rs TRUE"
This allegation IN substance is, that Gen Taylor, when
he made his report, knew that the second Indiana regi
men rallied and fought all day; that be states in his
port that they could be ra,rd and took further poyf
IN the action. Reduced to its brief and direct ex
preston, the charge here is that General Taylor stated
foiseh ood in his report, knoupg 10 be false in two inn
portan particulars affecting The military reputation of the
second Indiana regiment
need adduce further proof that Gen Lane not only
nsinnated but tina, he made direct charge of malicious
fasehood against Gen Taylor ] am ashamed 10 sum UP
the substance OF this infamous and dees'abe publication
would not suffer Il 10 pass my lips for amonentthough
state II only 10 confu,e the libel and to conound the H.
beller--but that know every who hears will
upon the mere statement Instantly pronounce the accusa-