The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-10-27
MEMOIR

MEMOIR
OF
GENERAL SCOTT.
FROM
Records ootemporaneous
with the Events.
[coNcLUDED. @
Dewitt Clinton.
To attack on Gen Jackson hayior rather nm
look, Scott in his last letter eyin
ced desire to turn his battery ON one who he
ftlf, was not so difficult to deal with az JACK
son. He says to Genl Jackson
"Permh me to reqnest-l think | have a
right to demand--a sight ofthe original anony-
nous letter, which has given rise to this discus
sion IT mistake not, your correspondent is
perhaps greater parsonage than you imagine
nay, SO high that he has once essayed to set
himself above the highest in nur political sphere
The letter shall be returned as soon as the hand
Is compared with that of a eertnin agent of the
parsonage alluded to- @ fEo
Nt"' SdChSod uiu not IeDO himself to this
scheme of hunting upa new qu1rrel. II did no,
accord with his old. school notions. to betrav !
correspondent who had written him the truth.
Scott in his pamphlet (republished in Niles
Regster) says: "No reply was ever made TO
the foregoing, and Of course Genl Scott has
never seen the original anonymous letter His
suspicious and the whole correspondence were
fully communicated in January, 1918, to apar.
ticular friend Of ofGovernor Clinton, who was
perfectly at liberty to give notice thereof 10 that
parsonage The pamphlet containing this pas.
sage as soon as it reached Gov. Clinton, called
forth this notice
TO THE PUBLIC.
General Scott, of the army of the United
States, having in letter to Gene raj jackson
Df the I'd of January, insinuated that l had
written, dictated, or lnstigated an Anonymous
letter to the latter gentleman from unworthy
motives, or for improper purposes; and also
having concealed this irnputa,ion from me, un
til The publication of pamphlet which re- ached
me on the 9TH instant, have considered it pro.
per TO declare, that | have had no agency IN
debating or instigatng any anony nous
letter whatever To Gen. Jackson that | am
entirely ignorant of the author, and the intima.
lion OF Gen. Scott is entirely and unqualifedly
false to all intents and in all respects. This de.
public opinion, and not from any regard fur
Gen. Scott, whose conduct on this occasion is
such a total departure from honor and propriety
Is 10 render him unworthy of the esteem of a
nan who has any respect for himself.
II is not probable that | can at this. time have
my recollection ofhaving had the honor Of sec-
ng Gen. Scott on the 9th June, 1917, at DIN
Ter in New York, or of the topics OF coaversa.
ion, as he sug Ies's circuns' ances so uniInpor
ant are not apt to be impressed on the memory.
But feel confident persuasion that did not
make use ofany expressions incompatible with
he high respect which entertain for General
Jacks; n.
DEWITT CLINTON"
Albany, 9th April, lSI9.'
Gen'l Scott took this nntice IN SO serious a
lunar that he forgot his sense of religion, and
challenged Gov. Clinton to private combat, and
Governor Clinton treated it with the scorn il
deserved.
scOtt's Injustice to Brown, Pike,
Ripley, Jcsup, Rrady, Mcneil,
Miller, &c.
How strikingly does this more recent evidence
# jealous rivalry sacrificing every thing to a
elfist ambition, reflect its light backwards, on
SCOTS conduct to his comrades IN The Niagara
ampaign of 1914, and develop the motives
Which prompted the injustice still done them in
ls newly published autobiograph! Never was
here such sn instance of unfair dealing on the
art Of any man towards those to whom he is in.
ebtcd for his reputation, as is exhibited by
'co,t in the work just put forth to bazon his
xploits. If he could deny that it is written by
is own hand or under his dic;ation, the simple
act that he allows the circulation of unfair fab
cations to subserve his int. rests, and with the
anction of his silent consent makes him acces.
Dry to the wrony perpetraied a. ainst his com
an,ons in arms, for the most part precluded
The grave having closed over the NJ from vim
eating their fame, but which will be repelled
y every surviving witness ofihc glorious scenes
.om which SCOTS biography excludes every
romnent actor but himself.
The autobiography begins the celebrated Mia
ara campaign, under this heading. "SsoA or
anizcs an army" And after assuming that
e had everything under his command-that he
ad ''the no less important duty t. perform
ian to organize, discipline and instruct an army
new recruits then being mustered into the
,rvicc, &c.'-that we had heretofore used the
russian system Of tactics, Scott introduced at
nee, the far more perfect French syste m, &c. :
with the self complacent, self salts.
ling remark, that he hah taken in hand body
raw militia without drill and without expert.
nee, and at the end of three months had con
prted them into well disciplined and irwin
bile corps, which soon showed itself able 10
,nquer the renowned veterans Of Wellington
imself.
Here is detraction which robs some Of the
oblest names ofour military annals oftheir Just
lme General Pike was the first to introduce
,e tractics and discipline of modern France in
~.
ork was the man who had previously created
,e model regiment of our service, and General
'rown, who commanded in chief on the Niagara
.ontier, was the man who organized the army
!, which he was appointed, and he planned and
in person the operations of the CAM
aign which covered that army with ever living
lurels.
The first step Of the invasion Of Canada was
le summon of Fort Erie lngersol in his history
ays: "Major Jesup was ordered forward with
le 25th Infantry to invest the fort in conjunc-
ION with Riply's Brigade, which had not reach.
d the station assigned to it. With Majors Nc
,rea and Wood he approached and reconnoiter.
d the fort which delivered some discharges
ror. both cannon and muskelry, wounding a
aw Of Jesup's men Investing Fort Erie with
Is two bngades, Browns good fortune com.
,enced by its calpitnation. &c" Gen. Scott,
4 his Autobiography, taxes the whole credit OF
hus ausprcious opening affair. 1t says: .sScott
I'd the van. Fort Ere surrendered at disrecti.
n" He takes Browns plans and Jesup's exc.
ution as his own, and Caesar rcni, ridi, ric,,
or the model of his narrative; but he should
ave remembered that Cesar's brevity owned
Is force to Its truth.
The next stop in the "Life Of General Scott"
rings US to Chippewo, and here il an account
fit as embodi. in himself, and made part of
is lite
"The British were we'll tried and hithertho
soldiery, possessing the advantage
f a decided superitory If numbers. and the pres
ge OF lnvincibiity. But the daring and zrsl-
US yeNng American general carder sthe une-
nal strife. Filled with martial order, and an
intrepidty, that only sought the
pportuni'y to wipe ont the memory Of previous
isaster and imbeciity, and to exalt the glo-y Of
is country, he mailed himself for the conflict
His hopes beat high in the confidence of spirit
hat felt determined 10 wrest reluctant victory
rom its favorte standard. In this hardy tenn
er of soul he led forth his troops upl,n the
lain. The Bri'isl, commander, in full reliance
pon the invineibility of his men, anticipated
is an'a .onist's determination, and came forth
0 meet him. The day had passed in SKI, m sh-
$. At five o'clock in the afternoon the com.
,nts drew up in b' tie array. The Ame c,ns