The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1852-09-25
From the Montpelier Watchman
AN INSULT TO VERMONT.
JUSTICE TO COL. RANSOM.

From the Montpelier Watchan.
AN INSULT TO VERMONT.
JUSTICE TO COL. RANSOM
We have always thought that the appoint
mcnt, by President Polk, of Franklin Pierce
of \. ii. As bri gadicr General over T. b. Ran
som OF Vermont, was piece of gross favori
isn-unlns in the highest degree to Ransom
and an insult to Vermont. Ransom wa.
skilled in military science and a thorough
bred officer; he had adopted the teaching of
military science and tactics as a profession
ami III every battle. from Contrcras until he
tell at the cad of his brave regiment while
stormlng Chapultcpcc, he proved himself tc
be one OF the most gallant and accomplished
officers Ill the whole army, the old veterans
4" the war OF 1872 not excepted. Pierce had
no claims to the appointment by military tai
fnts or services; and had Pierce lived in
Vermont, and /. Il. Ransom in New Uamp-
shire, no military man can doubt for a mo-
mcnt that the post of honor would have been
gwen to Hanson. 1t was denied him and
gwen to Pierce, And hence it is We say.
that the tavoriti>m to Pierce and he Injustice
t" the gallant Ransom. was q d~iibrdic i,sur
~ Icrmnm an insult which the brave off
GERS and soldiers of Vermont in the 9th Reg
incnt. and an insult which the fi-ofmen of
Vermont. ought to be the first to avenge.
Nor may we stop here: to this gross insult
to Vermont, by President Polk, We must add
the gr"Ss'St mj"stice to Col. RanSom. W FER
mon''rs' Ave by Ncrmontcrs and D,m-
"'r"'s NJ lcrm"m i"io hc boJyai,.' >, They
rob Ransom of his blood-Lo ght honor>. to
iasten them on Franklin Pierce. They fitch
from the har'!-uarne', fame, Wen hr their own
friend and brother by the most daring and
ri'i"lcnt services at Contreras, ChuruhuSco.
and Chapultepcc: and they rob Ransom of
his laurels toplace them on the brow Of Pierce.
III the face and eyes Of the record that Pierre
was incapacitated by falling from his horse
and tainting, from takn. any part in these
engagements, and that it was Ransom. and
not l'ierce,who gallanty led the 9th in every
one ofthcm, 1t is .Lf: K;Ider, of Randolph,
the democratic candidate for lieutenant GOV
crnor of Vermont. who has the brass to tell
us that Franklin Pierce was ''in tie Mu:e of
'cr9 bn'Hc from the N"'ionM R'ilge 10 he
b"HS "t'he Honfe-"mas 1t is h;s'ory that
convicts jeff. kiddcr of the rankest Injustice
to the memory of his true friend Color e.
Ransom, and assures us that T. b. Ransom
was the actual command, r of the New Eng
land 9th occnpy;ng Pjcrces post w,cn Pierce
had .tnl'en and taintNd anil remained an inra-
i" md. as commander in plnce Of Pierre.
leading his troops in every fight in which
they were engaged, and winning the very
honors which l'emot dena0cyuic SpcerL-n,o-
l"r< are now bent upon flching from him.
Soldiers Of the gallant 9th freemen of
Vermont. let the day of the next Pres
'tental election be dny Of Justice to the
memory of the lamcntcd Ransom-a dan of
r"'r;bn';on to Franklin Pierre-and a dny IF
rer"koni"g with the locofoco elcctionccrcrs
of Vermont
We confirm the views we here express by
statement of facts, furnished from the doe
nmcntS by soldier of the 9th regiment. and
published in the Boston Atlas of August 2s-
The article was written in reply to a ctte,
of Cen Shields. We have examined the
official documcntS,and find that the following
statement is substantiatcd by the record:
"Ihc battle of Contrcras was the first bat
tie fought in the valley of Mexico bv our al.
my. The action. it will be remembered. wa,
commenced about three o'clock in the after
noon. General TwigS division was in advanc,
closely followed by that of General Pillow. tc
which Gen. Pierce belonged. The New Enc
land Regiment. the Ninth, led by the quAnn
HnnSom, was, from position, in advance of tn,
other portions of the brigade in the charc,
of the enemy's skirniishers but as Gener,
Pierce '::teN from his horse" he was unable
!" keep up with his brigade; consequently
the assistance given to Brig Gen. Smith
and Rilcy's hrigadcs, owed nothing to the in
drnlnd pro~css of Gen. Pierce Gen. Shields
who contributed largely to our success. bv hi
conduct in the orchard, on the night of thu
10Th, the credit of which Gen. Pillow, thronnl
the agency of the celebrated "Leonidas Let
ter. cndeavored to rob him Of did not com
upon the ground with his brigade until otie
Gen. Pierce had fallen u,h his horse. VIVA
Gen. Shields, therefore, knows of the charac
ter OF Gen. Pierce upon the field of Contrcra.
on the evening of the 10Th amounts to MOTH
ING. On the morning of the 2Oth. Genera
Pierce, according to his own statement. di
not participate in the action-conseuucntl,
he did not prove himself to be hero on tina
occasion; and Gen. Shields cannot ssrindico,
ms military character" there. At o'cloc
on the morning of the goth the great move
nient commenced on the rear of the cnemy'
'amp.Rilcv lc 'ding followed bv Cadwallader'
and SMITHS hriga'lcS. 1t was now hot N
|1iInM md hnmCnfcd R,ti,<on. .~ih his tam
i'ororH hjp'5e." not only made the conrcrte
movement, to divert and distract the cncm,
hnt after crossing the deep ravinc in his from
"'r""c"d n"d p""'ed ;n'o he ~o.;I< o,.d uj,o
n" t"2ifires a mast drstr"rtire fire If 1ou<ie,
~. Thus was the disgrace. thrown mo
E"w England by the remiSsneSs of Pierce
w:pcd ONT. hv the noble and SoldierIike con
drrt ct Col. Ransom. and the officers am
'"!di"rs tf Fierct's Rrynle the road to tn
'arltaf orcned, 1 general and 81 other off
'"rs. with 80 OF the rank and file of tn
enemy mad" prisoners, and 700 pack mules
= piece, otbrass ordnance Thousands OF small
'r'"'' Announcements, cartridges, &c &c. tcl
80 orr hands
II" 'atrl" having l.n won. the a,;yarr
x divisions ri Gems. Worth and Qntuar