The primitive Republican. (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-1852, 1852-09-09

which had been assigned to you.
These troops were part of your COM
nand, and subject to your orders; and i'll
hey remained one day at the Brazos after
t was there known that they were needed
IN the Rio Grande line, and would be SER
7iceable with your column, the fault was en-
,irely your own, and in no wise imputable
% the War Department. If your opinion
be not extravagant-andy you say it is not
hat but for the diversion of Gen. Cadwala-
1ea's forces from you, and the "much pre-
,ious time" lost at the Brazos, you "might
easily have taken this city Mexico] in the
month of June, and at one-ffth of the loss
in August and September" you
have, indeed, most fearful account to settle
with your country.
l cannot, however, but regard your spec
nlative opinions on this subject as fanciful
and wild. You greatly over estimate the
force which landed at the Brazos and subse-
quently joined you. From the best calcula-
ton 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-
futation of your charge against the depart
ment for diverting these troops is in no wise
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 l think the country will ex-
pect you to answer.
If these new levies, which had just enter
ed the service, would have enabled you to
capture the city of Mexico in June, with a
comparatively 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 army three
times as many volunteers, who had been ma
ny months in service, and were, as you ac-
knowledge, respectable in discipline and
efficiency" and who had distinguished them
selves at Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo, and,
in the hour of peril, had fought by the side
of your veteran troops, and merited an hon
orable share in the glory of those memora-
BILE conflicts? The period of their en-
gagement had not expired When thus sent
away, but one of the seven regiments had
less than thirty, and most of them had more
than forty-fve days to serve. According tc
your own opinion, concurred in by the de-
partment, they could have been legally re-
tanned on your line of operations till the last
hour of their engagement If not deemed
cxpedient to take them on towards Mexico
with you, their services, at that critical pc
Rod, would have been of inestimable value
in holding the post at Jalapa-so important
and so unexpectedly abandoned-and il
keeping open the communication between
Vera Cruz and your headquarters, whereby
supplies, munitions, and recruits could b.
safely and expeditiously forwarded to you
Had this been done, you would hav,
been spared the trouble of inditin!
many items of grievance and complaint
against the War Department for having fail
ed to furnish them. If you had retained TIL
twelve months volunteers until the end O
their agreement-and no sufficient reason
has yet been shown for their premature dis
charge-you might. for a season at least
have received, without obstruction, supple
from the main depot on the gulf; the arm
might have been strengthened by reinforce
ments at an earlier period; and many c
the revolving scenes of barbarity on the roa,
from Vera Cruz to Jalapa, in which so man
lives Of our felow-citizens have been sacr
feed by the ruthless guerilleros, would nc
! have occurred.
Another and still more lamentable CO
lamity is, | think, fairly to be ascribed t
the early obstruction of this important lin
of communication. The brave and patriot
men who were hurried on to Mexico, in sma
detachments, in order to reinforce your army
were unexpectedly, but necessarily y, dctainc
at Very Cruz until the numbers there CO
lected were sufficient to force their wa
through the strong guerilla bands whic
held the difficult passes on the Jalapa roac
While thus detained on that inhospitabl
coast, in the sickly season, they were expose
to the attacks of a wasting pestilence, MOI
formidable, and, as it unfortunately proved
more destructive than the Mexican army.
When the unwelcome news of the prem'
ture discharge of this large body of volul
teers was received here, unaccompanied /
any explanation to show the necessity of Il
act, it excited very general surprise and r
greet. Its consequences were at once for
seen; but the step had been taken, al
could not be,retraced. 1t was loudly CO..
demned. Many did not believe that a me
sure which appeared to be so unwise and
injurious to the operations Of the army coul
have emanated from yourself; but the
2 were less charitable towards the Presidel
, and Secretary of War. Both were denounct
e for what you had done; they were unscr
pulously charged with weakness and inc
$ pacity; with being actuated by hostility
you, and desire to secure popularity vii
' the volunteers. Nor were these bitter a
: saults intermitted until it began to be su
pected they were misdirected.
: If you really regarded, on the 9th of Ma
t the augmentation Of. your forces as being
e such vital importance, it is almost as diff
!, cult to account for the course taken to rec
4 gage the volunteers, as for their prematu
. discharge. am misled by information
which l ought to rely, if many Of these VI
r unteers would not have continued in servi
S if proper measures had been taken at Jalap
r while they were indulging the hope Of pa
!, ticipating in further triumphs, and Of beil
a among those who would 10y the enviab
s distinction of first entering as victors t
= proud capital of the Mexican republic
f Though the subject was there presented
s their consideration, no vigorous efforts see
J, to have been made-no attempt to form ne
b companies-or to muster them into serviC
d until this powerful inducement was weake
:, ed or withdrawn-until they had been Z
n tached from victorious army, as if no 10
d ger deemed worthy to be part of it-se
n sixtv miles towards their homes into a pes
n lential region, and there brought within t
u sympathetic influence of sentiments viii
e it was natural that many should feel a