The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-09-15

Hull, treason and reproach were added to he
Affections. Her heart sweled, her frame quiveret
| with rage, and she shed hot tears Of shame ant
| sorrow. One patriot there was who determined
that the gulf of shame, like that Of Curtius, SHOULD
be closed, though it entombed him and he Offered
himself sacrifice. In the desperate struggle or
the heights Of Queenstown, death itself seemed to
shrink from his daring. "You are the target OF
every rife-cover your uniform with this coat, ,
said Kearney to Scott "Never!" was the reply
IL will die in my robes" derive this fact from
| General Kearney himself. Surrounded by an over.
| whelmng force Scott thus addressed his men. Can
Greek or Roman story afford parallel "Hull's
| ignominious surrender" he said, "must be re.
| trieved. Let us, then, die arms in hand. Our
! country demands the sacrifice. The example will
| not be lost. The blood of the slain will make
heroes of the living. Who is ready for the sacr.
| icei'' Hul's surrender was retreved-ther gal
lantry did wipe out that stain, the first and last Of
our country; but Scott became the prisoner of tbs
foe; and, amid the perils and privations of such
captivity, surrounded by British tyrants and Indian
assassns, he filed the first measure of his sacrifices
for his country. For this, ask your votes for the
patriot, and inquire, in his own words at Queens
| town, "ARE you READY" .. ..,,
| Again Scott was free; again at the head of gal
liant band of freemen; and again before superior
| force of the enemy; for his have been no holiday
achievements; every laurel leaf upon his brow has
| cost death struggle. Lundy's Lane is one of the
best fought battles in history. The sun went down
upon the conflict, and the night wore on-the
| harvest moon struggling through the clouded hea-
| vens, and ftfuly lighting up the field where death
| was the only reaper; and yet voey answered vol
ley, deafenng Niagara and the clash of bayonets,
and the shrieks and shouts of the combatants, still
made night hideous. Scott was the very spirit of
the battle-storm His tall form was seen, crimson
with blood, in every desperate eddy of the fight,
! and his clarion voice was heard above the widest
l din of he copfcf He ihrottled victorv cnn-
quered against fate. And when, covered with
wounds supposed to be mortal, he fell, his last
words were orders to charge, and his last effort
| murmured shout Of victory. For this, ask your
| votes. Let the people give but one suffrage for
| each red drop that then gushed from his gored
boson,-poured out for them and theirs-and the
debt Of gratitude will at least in part, be paid pos
| terity will do the rest.
have no time to follow Scott up to the period Of
| the Mexican war. Forty years of service in camp
and council have passed over him; but the vow OF
the youthful enthusiast is still the rule of the hosry
patriot-he is still and ever all his country's Clio
| rious deeds had been done on the Rio Grande and
| in Northern Mexico but the nation had advanced
not step towards the achievement Of peace
General Scott proposed renewal of the adyen-
turous march of Cortez but the scene had changed,
and where the Spanish vessels had moved peacea-
bly,, the castle of San Juan now frowned defiance
| and, instead of friendly Tlascalans and feeble Az
tees, the American General must encounter an
armed and powerful empire-a country impregna-
BILE by nature skilfully fortified, and ably and oh.
stinately defended. The difficulties seemed insu-
perable, and his project was denounced as romantic
madness. Napoleon once disclosed military plan
to one of his staff. ut is impossible said his
friend, 81 see no means of its achievement" Ma
poleon led him to window, and pointing to the
glowing midday sky, asked edo you see that star -
"No,' was the reply. 81 do, said the Emperor
and was his only answer. General Scott thus
saw the star, hidden from feebler visions, which
was to light and guide him on his path to glory
The Administration long withheld their sanction
but they had no other hope; Scott alone could saw.
them; and at length they growlingIy acceeded
| For that plan, so full of genius and wisdom now
the glory Of our history and the wonder of tn.
world and for its sole author, Winfield Scott, do
ask your gratitude and support. 'ss. 70.
| will not characterize that campagn-I cannot
but you have 1.-THE world has it by heart. Never
was the president and comprehensive weight of hui
man genius more wonderfully displayed, than by
Scott in its preparation and execution. Every diff
6culty was foreseen, every contingency provided
for. This plan was worked out like problem in
Euclid. But we cannot follow him in his eagle
flight from the surf of the gulf to the bowed towers
of Vera Cruz and the startled cliffs of Ccrro Gordo
from miracle to miracle, from victory to victory
over conquered impossbilites, and crushed thou
sands, to the captured capital But you will re
member the universal anxiety felt here at home
when he descended into the valley of Mexico
when his communications were destroy ed, his army
disappeared among enemies tenfod its superior in
all save courage and conduct Weeks ard weeks
elapsed, and not word was heard of them. The
suspense grew agonizing We watched-as friends
watch the dark waves in which daring diver has
plunged, but from which he does not emerge
White lips whispered, sis he lost Has he per.
| ished"' And the response was, chow can it be
otherwise, with force so inadequate, against a foe
50 formidableF' At length, when overwrough,
terror became despair the tidings burst upon US
a torrent of glory. Contreras, Churubusco Moline
del Rey were won; and how futtered our flags
how blazed our bonfres, and how uprose oul
shouts, again and again, when we learned that oul
noble army bivouacked in the plaza of the capital
and beneath the stars and stripes, as they waved
above the triumphs of Cortez, stood Winfield Scott
the laurelled conqueror Of Mexico / stand beneath
that banner nova brighter glory has ever since
cleaned from its stars; and pointing to those fields
of fame, | ask, in the name, and by the authority
| Of those achievements, unequaed in grandeur and
glory, ask your votes for General Scott.
tbs impossible briefly to sketch that campaign
Its battles are SO many and glorious, that they min
gle their light as the stars which form the galaxy
melt together and cast stream Of glory across The
heavens. But this is Churubusco's day; and the
nation, in all time,
"Will stand tp-toe when this day is named"
Instead of one battle, its achievements comprise
hive distinct battles, and five ilustrous victories
Time itself looks back upon no such one day. Our
army was but 500 strong, and was engaged holly
on foot and horseback, in the open field and before
the strongest Notifications, with 80, 900 men, well
| disciplined, armed and commanded. IL made OOC
prisoners, and killed and wounded 1000 of the
enemy. Any one of those five victories, brilliants
glorously strung together, and radiantly bound up
on the fair brow of our country any one would
have struck the world with wonder; together they
stagger credulity, and raise monument of Amerf-
can herosm that will stand till our mountains mel,
into the plain We meet to celebrate that victory
victories, and we cannot forget the patriot hero
| to whom we owe 1t, who never doubted and never
erred, who never stumbled and never tainted, "the
noble nature" Il quote the poet l,erally,)
"Whom passion could not shake; whose solid
| virtue,
| The shot Of accident, nor dart of chance,
Could neither grace nor Pierce"
| Had the life Of Scott known but that one dny of
glory, for that alone would ask, and you could
not, in justice and gratitude, deny your suffrages
| And how were these services, countless and in-
| esmable rewarded Who does moi bhsh over