The Democratic sentinel and Harrison County farmer. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1851-1852, 1852-08-04


case, Colonel Hsmey Was not ''infrm. un-
Instructed and Inefficient" you did not as
sign. ard in difference 10 the known opinion
Ofthe atny and country. yon did not venture
TO aas.sn thai reasoh Tor disposing him.
de not understand the force Of your logical
deduction. that because you, on = former oe-
cssion, had deprived officers Under you Of
theit commands for good and sufficient rea-
sons, with subsequent approval. You may
now. and a. any time, do ths same thing
without any reason whatever; and If the
Presiden; interposes 20 correct tthe procedure.
you have a just cause 10 complain OF IN in +
dignity and right y arraign the War De
partment.
As your anin;a lrerSion upon the tcne Of
my letter is prob tbly not blow aimed at a
much more Conspicuous object, to be reach
ed'tbrough me. oaght, perhaps, Ia pass it
without notice. On revision Of that letter,
cannot preceive thatit is not entirely respect
tul in manner and language The views of
tile Presidentae therein confidently cxpres
Eed. because they wereconiiently entertain
pd. IL seemed Ia be admitted BY vou, that
''if dictated to The grceneSt general Of the
recent appointments, the letter wuuld not
have been excep'iunablt ] was no. await
that is was my dusy to modify and grl luate
my style so aS 70 meet, according TO your ias-
tdious views, the varinuS De rreca at .-rren-
ness and ripencss al scutrasto whom | am
required 10 convey tie orders Of the Presi-
den1; and for any such defect in my official
communications have NO apology to Offer.
In the same letter wherein you complain
of being cpnsured for yuur course in rcaioa
TO Col Harncv, YOU say, IL am now rebulri
for the eunayoidabie--nay wise, if it had not
been unavoltable-release, on parole. OF the
prisoners tallcnnt Cprr0 Gur,la. even hrtor,.
one word of commentator IRON government
had reached this sfmy on aecbunt of it's gal
liant conduct in the capture Of those prisoa-
ers." Accident q!onr-not any oversight or
neglect on my part-h Is given yor thrappa-
rent advantage OF the agLr yaton winch
you have artfully !hrpwn tntu.this charyr.
My letter commencing Yourself and the gal
liant army under YOUR command for the go.
rious achievements at Cero iordo, WAS writ
ten and sent to YOU on the 19 il OF May-cley-
en- days before that which you are pleased
to cunsideras containing rebuke.
But | meet the main charge with po4
tive denial. You never were rehuRei fJr
tischarging the prisoners takenat Celo Cor
do, This issue can be tried by record. All
that was ever said on the subject is .ntain
ed in the following exlract from my letter of
the 3Ist ofMay; a.
"Y onr course hitherto il relation to pris-
otlerS OF war, both men anl officers, in dis
charging them on parole. has been liberal
and Kind; but whether it ought to bestill
longer continued, or in some respects chan
ged, has been under tire consideration of the
President, and he has sduected me to commu-
nicate to YOU his views on the subject. He
Is NOT unaware Of the great embarrassment
their detention, or The SEEDING OF the IA TO
the United States, would occasion: but. 50
far ms relates to the officers he thinks they
should be detained untii du!v exchan yei.
In that case, 1t will PROBABLY be foulI cX De-
Gient to send them, or most OF them 10 lhe
United States. You will not, therefore, cy-
cept for especial reasons in particular cases,
discharge the officers who may be taken
prisoners, bat detaia them with YOU. or send
them to the United States, as Yea saaII deem
most expedient"
. If understand 'hc force Of terms, there
is nothing in this langu4se which, by fair
Interpretation, can lu n,aG. 10 express, q, in,
ply rcbuke, ] eauuos conceive that any
mind, other than one OF ii diseased sensitive
ness, over anxious tO discover causes for
complaint and accusation, could i'm lgine that
anything like rebukc was contained in this
extract; yet on this unsubs' antial basis alone
rests the chaI,r, over and over again pre-
seuted, thai YOU were rebuked by the War
Department for discharsng the prisoners
captured at Cerro GorIo- If, in case where
il was so easy TO be right, and so difficult to
get wrong, YOU could tlll into such an o5yi-
oIls mistake, what may not be expected from
you in other matters where your perverted
feelings have freer and wider range.
Before considering your complains for
not having been supplied with sufficient
means of transportation for the expedition
against Vera Cruz, | will notice your -four
memorials" to the War Department. in which
YOU demonstrated. rs you state, that Vera
Cruz was the true basis Of operations, AMI
that the enemy's capital coulI,not probably
be reached from the Rio Grdnde"
cannot discover the pertinency Of yoar
allusions to these four memorials, except It
be to put forth claim to the megit qi.ci,isI-
mating the expedition against Vera Cruz
and Of being the first to discover that the
most practcablc route to the city of Mexico
was from that polnton the Gulf; but your
known abhorrence for "purencj of tame
not earned" ought TO shield you from the
suspicion Of such an iutirrity.
am sure you are not ignorant of the fact
but if YOU are, it is never hceSs true--that
the expedition against Vera Cruz had been
FOR some Lime under consideration; that great
pains had been taken to get information as
ID the defence Of that city, the strength off
the castle, and the difficulties which woul |
attend the debarcation of troops; that maps
had been procured ard carefully examined;
that persons who had resided there, and oil /
GERS Of The army and navy, had been consul
ted or, the subject, and tie enterprise Actu
ally resolved on before the date OF Your first
memoir, and before Won were thought of to
conduct ii.
: Az early as the 9th Of July, l84G, within
two months after the declaration. of war, |
hnd before the main body Of troops raised !
Tor It's prosecution had reached the scene of
Operations, consdefatc attention had been
gwen to tbat subject. On that day, a letter
from this department to General Taylor thus