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

""NA NatS ~eSAiSehAA "NlN hNPAesSSN "
those Of the United States on those formida-
bic places. We succeeded, at last in reach
ing the point of attack, in the midst of the
frightful northers, by means, in great part
Of trading craft, small and hazardous, picked
ed up accidentally at the Brazos and Tam
p!co; and when the army got ashore, its
science and valor had to supply all defcien-
cies IN heavy guns, mortars, and ordance
stores.
The first letter that | received from the
after entering the captured
city, contained an elaborate rebuke, (dated
February %, for having ordered Col. Har-
iney, Cd, dragons, to remain in the com
mand of the cavalry with Maj, General Tay-
lor, so as to leave Major Sumner, of the same
regiment, the senior of that arm in my ex-
pedition. There was no great difference in
the number of cavalry companies with the
two armies This rebuke was written with
a complacency that argued the highest pro
fessonal experience in such matters, and
could not have been confident in its tone,
if dictated to the greenest general of the
recent appointments. Yet without the pow
of selecting commanders of particular corps,
no general-in-c would venture to take
upon himself the conduct of critical cam
paign. Such selections are always made by
the Father Of his Country, and the principle
generals under him. So in the campaign of
1914, myself sent away, against their
wishes, tn ee senior field officers OF as many
regiments, who were iufIm, uninstructed,
and Inefficient, in favor of three Juniors,
and with the subsequent appreciation of
Major General Brown, on his joining me,
and the head of the War Department.
Both were well acquainted with the customs
of war, in like eases, at home and abroad;
and without the energy on my part, it is
highly probable that no American citizen
would ever have cited the battles of the Nj
agara without a sigh for his country. | am
happy. however, that before word had
been received from the department, and, in
deed, before it could have had any knowl-
edge of the question, | had decided to take
with me the frank and gallant Colonel. and
hope soon to learn that he had Mith many
otller olficees have been rewarded with bre-
vets for their highly distinguished services
in the campaign that followed,
TWAS in reference to the same rebuke,
that,in acknowledging your communication,
said. from Vera Cruz, April 18th:
Il might very well controyert the mill
tary principles so confidently laid down by
the department in the letter ofthe 22d of
February;]brt believing that tic practice
of the United States army in the two wars
with Great Britain would have no weight
IL the particular case, waive furthur reply
having, at that moment, no leisure and
no inclination for controversy"
Abiding to the heavy disappointments
in respec! to transports, siege trains and or
dance stores, then already experienced, !
wrote to department, from Lahos, FEBRUARY
29-
"Perhrps no expedition was ever SO unac-
countably delayed-by no want offoresight.
arrangement, orenergy by my part'as |
dare afIirm--and under circumstances the
most critical to this entire army; for every
body relied upon knew, from the first, as
well as | knew, it would be fatal to us to at
tempt military Operations, on this coast, at
ter, probably, the first week in Apri and
here We are at the end of February! Never
theless this army is in hart; and crippled as
| am in the means required and promised, l
shall 90 forward, and expect to take Vera
Cruz and its castle in time to escape, by per-
suing the enemy, the pestilencc ofthe coast. "
The city and castle were captured March
2 9th, and with about one fourth of the ne
Cessary means for road train, no fault of
mine, the retreat, in pursuit of the enemy,
was vigorously commenced April 9th. The
battle of Cerro Gordo soon followed, and
we occupied Jalapa and Perote, where we
had to wait for supplies from Vera Cruz.
In those positions, | vas made to wrlthe
under another disappointment,
In my four memorials to the department
ON the further prosecution of the war against
Mexico, written at Washington, and dated,
respectively October, 27. November l2, 16,
and 2l-(iL was only intimate1 to me in
the night of November 18, that | might
prepare myself for the field papers in
which | demonstrated that Vera Cruz was
the true base of operations, and that the en-
emy's crpital could not probably be reached
from the Rio Grande. | estimated that,
after taking the great sea port, "a6om 20,
O0Omen," or'an army of more than 10000
men may be needed.
/. To beat, in the field and in passes. any
accumulated force in the way. 2 10. gar
rison in my important points in the rear to
secure free communication to Vera Cruz.
3, GQmake distant detachments, in order
to gather in, without long halts, necessary
subsistences."
An1tha force, suppose, including vol
unteers, and aided by land and money boun'
ties, might be raised in time, by adding ten
or twelve newrcgiments ofreguaEs, and FL
ling up the ranks Of the DID,
A bill was Introduced for raising ten adj
tional regular regiments; and certainly dc
not mean to chafre the department with
the whole delay in passing the bill through
Congress. But it was passed, February H.
i847, and under it. by early In April, some
thousand men had been already raised
and organized. Ny distress may be con
ceiyed, by any soldier on learning al Jala
pa, April 27th, that the whole of that force
had been sent, under Brigadier Genera
Cadwallader, to the Rio, ,Grandc frontier!
Inmy letter to the department, the day
after, | said had expected that .a ,.
2 ."Detachments of the new regiments
would as you had promised me, begin to
arrive in this month, and continue TO follow
perhaps into June.N a1a7a
How many [yolunteersl will re-engagge