The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-08-18


X the ten regiments, from this quarter, will be
ION the way BRACES in the cours h theof three or
four days. All the ether forces will be directed
IN that point, and every effort made to relieve
General Taylor from his critical situation. You
Wi have been fully spprized before this can
seach you IF the condition If things in the val
ley OF The Ria Gsande, and al the headquarters
Of General Taylor, ard have taken, trust,
such measures as The Importance Of the subject
requires need not urge upon you the fasai
which would result fropa-&ny &C.
rions 6lses'er which might betai'-sne army o'ia,
er General Taylor, nor DO doubt that you VIII
do what 10 in ycur power avert SUCH caia
mitv."
The course pursued by the War Department
on tina. occasion. which you convert INT"
eharsr must, gu revision, think, coinhehu A.
self "a general appreciation. Had It been m
d II rem, to the alarming condition OF General
Tay lor $ army, aud foEborne to use, at the ear
hest moment, the most energetic measures :"
gusrd against the fatal consequences OF rs ae
feat, then too probable, it would have deserved
an arraipnment as severe as that which YOU
have made il against il for having done ITS dufy
in that critical emergency. When you hrst
received the reasons assigned for the course
adopted here, they appear to have been salts
factory In your despatch Of the 2oth OF April
you saw: "Yesterday learned, by your letter
Of the 22d, and the Adjutant Generals OF the
Goth uli,no, that all the recruits Of the req
ments-some 3000-raised or likely to be ras-
ed in time for thus army. have been ordered 10
the Rio Grande.' You did not then intimate
the slightest dissatisfactioR--not even premo-
nitory system Of that deep distress with when,
instantly on Mr.. Trist's arrival in Mexico, you
represent yourself to have been seized. 1t IS
a coincidence not unworthy OF notice that me
letter containing your FIRST condemnatorv re-
mark on this subject was written on the date OF
Mr.Trist's first note to you, and only the aay
before your captious reply to it; and IN both
you arsail the War Department. Your wither-
ing disappointment seems 10 have slumbei ed Tor
ten days, and then to have been aroused oy the
appearance sf Mr.. Trist in Mexico and your
quarrel with him. Ii the order from the war
Department had in fact "dlverted the ioices
with General Cadwalader, still it was fully JUS
ried by the threate ming aspect Of otfairs en- the
Rio Grande but am quite sure it did not div
ert them No previous order from the depart
ment had designated any other place Of rendez-
vous than the Drazos for the troops that were
10 ioin your column II was well understood,
before you left Washington, that all the troops
for both armies were 10 be sent TO that place,
aud there 70 fall uader your command
This arrangement was not, nor was IL expec
ted that it would be here changed, until you had
penet,ated 80 far into the enemy's country as
10 render your communications with that place
Of general rendezvous difficult ane dllatory.
You also complain that the order was not
eountermanfe d. Ii there had been such al
order, and il had been coun'ermanded, what
would have been the consequence The troops
would have gone forward from the United
Sta.ea under the former orders ofthe department
which would have taken them to the same
place.
You sllege that "the news of the victory OF
Buena Vista reached Washington in time to
countermand Cadw aldner's orders for the h'o
(srande before his departure from New Orleans.
notice this specification Of neglect OF duty to
how the extent to which you have carried
vour fault finding and the industry with when
Won have searched for occasions 10 indulge It
Your assumption is, that the news of the VIC
tory Of Buena Vista should have satisfied the
War Department that Cadwalder's forces were
NOT needed on the Rio Grande and the omis-
.;,r 70 countesmand, as soon as that news was
received. the orders to send them there, was q
neglect deserving severe an,madversion. How
did Won act under similar circumstances With
better means of information al to the actual
condition Of the Rio Grande frontier, after the
victory Of Buena Vista, you did not deem y
prudent, after being f6rty-one days IN possessi
On Of the news Of that victory, to issue positive
orders 20 remove single man from that iron
tier; vet you venture to censure me for moi
having sent the troops away the moment the
news reached Washington.
You received information Of that victory on
or before the l4th Of March, for on that day
YOU proclaimed it in orders to your army. On
the 25,h Of April. more than forty days there
after. YOU issued an order to the commanding
officer at the Prazos to embark for Vera Cruz
So NxnNa a
NAV have been ordered oy the War Depart
,nent 20 Point lsabel;" but you made it cond-
tonal with reference to the safety of the line Of
Rio Grande, and said to that officer that you
relied upon His "sound judgment TO determine
on the spot whether that line would not be toe
much exposed by the withdrawal of the troops
in question" Thus it appears that you do not
hesitate 10 impure neglect OF duty to me for
not having adopted and acted on the confusion
that The line Of the Rio Crande was safe the
ornent heard Of the victory OF Buena Vista
but when acting on the same subject you dared
not adnnt that conclusion, although you had
been in posse ssion of the some information forty
one days Your own conduct in this matter
completely refutes this charge OF yours against
the War Department. 1t does more 1t shows
how rash and inconsidera.e you have been in
selecting TOPICS for attack
hutcd 10 the long delay Of these troops at the
Brssos. For your sake sincerely hope these
consequences are much exaggerated, because
am cutie confident it viii be shown that you
.iona nre responsible for the delay The Wal
Denartmcnt did not--and it was proper that II
should not-isxuc any order IN regard to tne
movement Of the troops after their arrival IN
Mexico. The order from the DE- apartment OF the
30th Of April, making lewiston of the new
levies between The two columns, does not con
tradct this assertion, for III se levies were then
mostly within the United States; only port.
ons ofthem had then reached Menco. Unhl
this order took effect, the troops at the Brazos,
and, indeed, on the Rio Grande with General
Taylor, were under your entire and unrestricted
command AZ to this matter, you were under
no m;sappre hension for on the 25ih of April,
before YOU were informed what had been done
here to secure the Rio Grande line, you issued
an order in lation TO the troops at the brazos.
This place, you well knew, was the general
rendezvous of the new levies from the United
States, and. before You sailed onyonr expediti.
on to Vera Cruz, you were notified that the
Mexican army was advancing upon General
Taylcr. To have assumed that you wanted
suitable qualifications tor the hightstation which
had been assigned to YOU
These troops were part Of your command
and subject to your orders and If they remand
one day at the BRACES after it was there
known that they were not needed on the Rio
Grande line, and would be serv,ceable with
your column, the fault was entirely your own
and in no wise imputable to the War Depart
men. If your opinion be not extravagant-
and you say it is not-that but for the diversion
Of General Cadwaiader's forces from you, and
the "nuch previous tune" lost at the Brazos,
YOU ssmight easily have taken This city Ms Aiso>
in the month Of June, and at one-hfth OF the
loss sustained in August and September, you
have, indeed, most fearful account to settle
with your own country
cannot however, but regard your specuia.
tive opinions on this subject as fanclfui and
wild. You greatly over estimate the force
which landed al the Braz.s aud subsequent
" Joined you. From the best ejaculation which
can be made from data in the Adjutant Genef-
al's Office, the number was mnch less than you
Imagine, and did not probably exceed one thou
sand As the refatation Of your charge against
the departm. Mt for diverting these troops IN ne
wise impaired by the number be it more or less
II - not important to inquire into that matter But
there il a question of serious import, to which
Think the country will expect you to ans
wer.
r,b;ol, hNd inst entered