Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1852-08-12

. Jalapa was, at that time, garrisoned by
; the lst Regiment of Artillery, Col. Childs;
the I'd Regiment of Pennsylvania Volun-
teers, Col. Roberts and small number
of other troops, the whole under command
of Col. (now GeneraD Childs; who was
the Military Governor of the city-one
of the best executive soldiers of the army,
as wary and vigilant as he is brave, prompt,
energetic and decided.
I was, at the time, lying hopelessly i'll,
given over by all as one beyond recovery,
Gndeed, announced at home as dead } in
the house of Spanish family, where I
had been carried, by order of Col. Childs,
from the loft of Dutch beer house, to
be treated and cared for.
| Lying in this condition, one morning
in the early part of June, number of
officers of the regiment to which belong
ed ed PENN came to my chamber, in a
state of much excitement, to consult
and advise with me on the subject of a
wrong which they thought had been done
them and their commands.
From them [ learned that Col. Roberts,
commanding our regiment, was, upon the
day before, officer of the day; that during,
the course of the day he informed them
that there was to be in the evening pro-
cession of the Host," and that Col
Childs had either requested or ordered that
it should be so arranged, if possible, that
the guard should be turned out and kneel
as the Host passed by; and he (Col Rob
erts) requested that the officers should
so instruct their men. This request, or
command whatever it may have been
given by Col. Roberts, (probably, in his
own very quiet way,) seems to have excl
ted little or no attention at the moment
But, in the evening, the procession came,
the guard was turned out or attempted to
be turned out. My men were on guard
Col Roberts knelt and commanded or re-
quested the men to kneel-but no other Off
Ger OF man, [ am told, would kneel. Col.
Roberts, it was said, took hold of one of
the guards standing by his side, and at
tempted to induce him to kneel. Here
the matter ended but not with it the ex-
element which it had occasioned.
The next morning, as l have before
said a number of officers came to coun-
sci of me, what ought to be done and
from them l learned the facts I have re-
lated.
They alleged that neither Col. Childs
nor Col. Roberts had any right or au-
thority to make any such request, or give
any such command on the contrary, that
it was in derogation both of right and au-
thority. That it was derogaty to them
as men and soldiers to receive or submit
to it; and they insisted that the complaint
should be carried to Gen. Scott, and
that they would prefer charges against
and court martial both Colonels. In a
word, the officers were greatly excited,
Iincriminated both Colonels Childs and
Roberts, and so far from connecting Gen.
Scott with such orders or transaction,
whatever it might have been, directly or
indirectly, 1t aoaS TO Gen. Scott they pro-
posed to appeal t0r reCl/eSS.
Neither Col. CI.GLRS nor Cd. Roberts e.
er presented to hare founded their action,
qczateUer 1t a0aS, upon any order Of Gen.
Scott. No one IN MericO or aaayac1tere else,
till this time, eUer presumed to connect haS
name 1cith It, He was then, and had
, been for weeks, hundred miles distant,
at his Head Quarters at Puebla, with an
assassin population and thousands ofmur-
derous guerrillas between the two points,
rendering communication impossible except
bY forces as large as the a0jeOle garrison OF
JaLap0 1caS at tie time.
At the interview between myself and
the officers, the whole subject was dis
/ cussed and so far as l was able in all
its bearings, addressed myself at once
to quiet them. | assured them that they
did great injustice to the motives of Col.
Childs, and exhorted them, by what l
considered the true view of the whole
, case, and by all their own responsibilities,
to dismiss the subject from their own
minds, and to allay any excitement that
might exist in the minds Of others with
: regard to 1t.
In truth, and so told the officers at
the time, l have no doubt, that that the
whole thing was attributable to the good
ness ofthe heart of Colonel Childs. Fear
inc that be would be obliged to leave be-
hind him some of the sick, and the dying,
and taxing his brain for expedients to
protect them, Should such be the case)
against the daggers of the assassin, he
thought he would, by stroke of policy,
conciliate the clergy so as to secure for
them religious protection, in some
, conSecrcated Dlace.
But the arts ofpolicy were not the forte
of Col. Childs His end proposed was
right. Cancellation was a true means,
bu this diplomacy was bad. He did not
know how to be polite, As true man
and as good soldier as ever drew a
blade, or displayed column, unerring
and unconquerable in the bold, straight