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


nation as to The actual condition OF the Rio
Grande frontier. AFTER the victory OF Buena
Vista, you did not deem it prudent. after be-
ing forty-one days in possession Of the news
of that victory, TO issue positive orders TO
remove single man from that frontier; vet
ou venture 10 censnre me for not having
SEPT the troops away the moment the news
reached Washington.
You received information OF that victory
on or b,'fere the l4,h Of March. for on that
day YOU unclaimed in it in orders to your
army. On the 95th of April, more than for
ty days there after, you issued an order to
the COMMANDING officer at tie Brazos to en-
bark for Veia C.-uz "such detachments OF
the new regiments as may have been ordered
by the w Depar. uent to Point Isabel;
but you made it cont ttional with reference
to the safety of the line OF the Rio Grante,
and said tc that officer til Vt you relied upon
his "sound Judgment TO determine on the
spot whether that line would lot be too much
exposed by the withdrawal OF the troops IN
question" Thus it appears that YOU do not
hesitate to impute neglsct OF duty 10 me iol
not having adopted and acted on the conc u
sion that the ltne OF the Rio Grande was safe
the moment heard of the victory Of Buu pa
Vista; but when acting on the same subject,
you dared not adopt that conclusion, aiIho'
you had been in possession OF the same in
formation forty days. Your own conduct
in this matter completely y refutes this charge
of yours against the Wan Department l.
does more: it shows how rash and inconsid-
crate you have been in selecting topics for
attack
Bu, the most serious consequences are at
tributed to the long delay OF these troops AT
the Brazos. For your sake sincerely hope
these consequences are much exaggerated,
because am quite confident twill be shown
tLst you alone are responsible for the delay
The Var Department did not--and it was
proper th.PGIt should not-lssue any order
in regard to The movement OF their troops
after their arrtYat III Mexico The order
from the Department of he 33th OF April,
making a division OF I'll, new lcries between
the two columns, does not con!radlGb thle
assertion, for these leyIes were then mostly
within the United States; only portions OF
them had reached Mexico, Until this order
took effect, the troops az the Brazos, and
indeed, on the Rio Grande and with Gencl
al Taylor were under your entire and unre-
stricted command. AS to this matter, YOU
were under no misapprchensiou; for on the
goth of April, before YOU We're informed what
had hCen done here to secure the Rio Gran-
de line, you issued an order in relation to the
troops atthe Braaos. This place, you well
knew, was the general rendezvous of the new
lrvies from the United States, and before
YOU sailed on your expedition TO Vera Cruz,
you were notified that tie Mexican army was
advancing upon General Taylor. 10 have
assumed that YOU had not lett at the BrazDs
with view to meet any probable contingent
cy, orders for the proper disposition of the
troops which were or might be sent there,
would have implied an opinion that you war;
Ted suitable qualitica ioms for the high sta
ton which had beeh assig! ed to you.
These troops were pare ofyourcomman /,
and subject to your orders; and it they re-
NAMED one day at tie Brazos ater it was
here known that they were not needed on
.he Rio Grande line, ana would be servicea-
! IOtc Win Jout EpluHiIy lI't ihuit was tHtlTGlN
your own and in no wise imputablc to the
War Department. If your opinion be rot
extravagant--apd you say itisp pot--that but
far the diversion of General Cadwallalcr's
forces from you, and the "much precious
time" lost at the Brazos, you might easily
have taken this city Mexico in the month
of June, and at one-htth of the loss sustain
ed in August and September" you have,
indeed, a most fearful account to, settle with
your country.
cannot, however, but regard your spec
ulatiye opinions on this subject as fancifrl
and wild. You greatly over estimate the
: force which landed at the Brazos and subse-
quently joined you. From the best calctt-
lation which can be made from data in the
Adjutant Generals Office, the number was
much less than YOU imagine and did not
probably exceed one thousand. AS the re-
tutation OF your charge against the depart
ment for diverting these troops is in no wise
impaired by the number, be it more or less,
it is not important to inquire into that mat
ter. But there is question Of serious i'm
port, to which think the country will expect
you to answer.
Ifthcse rev levics, which had Just enter
ca the service, would have enabled You to
capture the city of Mexico in June, with a
mparatvely small loss, why did you, at
the very time you discovered that they were
so much needed, and would have been so
useful, send away from your srmy three
times as many volunteers, no had been
many months in service, and were, as you
acknowledge, respectable in discipline and
efficiency 'and who had distinguished them
selves at Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo, and,
in the hour ofperil had fought by the side of
your veteran troops, end merted an honor
able share in the glory of those memorable
conflicts? The period Of thcir engagement
had not expired When thus sent away hut
one OF the seven regiments had less than
thirty, and most Of them had tortyive days
to serve. According to your own opinion.
concurred in by this department, they could
have been legally retained on your line Of
operations until the last hour of their en-
gagement. If fnot deemed expedient to take
them on towards Mexico with you, their SER
vices, at critical period would have been Of
inestimable value in holding the post at Ja-
lapa--so important, and so unexpectedly a.
bandoned-and in keeping open the commu-
nication between Vera Cruz and your head
quartz $, whereby supplies, munitions, and
recruits could bo safety and expeditiously
forwarded to you, Had this been done, YOU
wonld hayn henn rnarad thn trouhla IF. IL