The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-09-22
I'm old 50idier's Letters to Gen. Scott.
No. z.
rnE uxExrLAlxED ARMisr,cE OF MEXICO.


was not with you, my dear General, before
the City of Mexico, and will not speak in my
own name to-day. but will state what Gen
Worth and Col. Duncan both said Of tho arms.
tice 10 me and to the officers of the army in
their confidence, and what in the intimacy Of
friendly correspondence, they wrote me on the
subject. II any Of your friends, Gen. Scott,
will deny any thing advanced, either with re-.
gard to your ab-t,ing Trst in sacrificing the
magnificent advantages of the Trhuantepec
route to Pacific to the agent of England, or its
twin folly. the armistice of Nj, xico, let them do
it distinctly and over their own names, and we
vii! meet them with names dates and proofs, and
then the Union or they can declare its verdict
Meantime, let it hear the opinion, Of the gal
liant worth. 1t was for this opinion too frankly
and mantully expressed. that you hunted him
and Col Duncan DOWN to the grave. For this
your adherenis in Congress CIT down the PEN
sion of his amiable and delicate widow t, such
m; SCRABBLE pittance was an infamv To the
ton and an insult to the lady to prof r. In the
petiness of your spite, your parasites in the Sc
nate sought to rob the dead Duncan-dead be
cause he had prematurely worn out lif. in ad-
verse climates and severe toll in his connlry's
service-yes, you and " urs attempted to rob
him of the piiful compliment Of frontier fori
named after him. As il there was moth
ing better to do, they brought in a bill to
change the name of Fnrt Duncan, at
Eagle Pass, on the Bravo, and would have pass
ed it but for few words of whitening explanati
on from that MODEST OF soldiers and gentlemen.
Rusk of Texas To starve the widow and insnl,
the dead is fit and cong-nial work for some
men. but our present business is with what
Worth and the ablrst men in the army sad and
thought of your famous ainis'ice.
81 made, viol atiun nj all th,, Saups az
modern warfare, no security was demanded or
received from the enemy, into whose capital
our victorious army would have marched on the
eve of20th August or morning OF the 2lst,
without the loss Of fifty men. The General
in Chief is, therefore, responsible before God
and civilised world for every life beyond that
number that was afterwards sacrificed in ob.
tanning possession Of the city Of Mexico. 1t is
moreover, certain that the persons who were
commissioned to go out with flag to ask for
an atmistic- were intended 10 capitulate for the
quiet delivery of the city if an armistce could
not be obtained. Moreover, the General nj
Chief had frequent information of positive and
un qnvocal violations Of the armistice BY The
enemy. l will content myself with citing ore
csse. BY the terms of the armistice the Ame
rlcan army must not take provisions or forage
against the consent of the owner santa Anna
sent messengers to all theneghboring estatesor-
dering them to nosell forage or provision to our
Quarter. Masters or Cpmmissares. The con
sequence was, that on the 25ih August it was
necessary to send foraging party to the valley
of Toluca, distant from head quarters forty miles
IN order to obtain corn for the cavalry. Capt
Hardie commanded the escort to the for
age train. On the first days march a
party Of some hundred recruits was
met, escorted by guard of Mexican Ian
a. nffSo h. opf
asked Capt. Hardie where or at what point he
had met 8 70 recruits escorted by troop Of Ian
GERS On being informed that he had not met
them, the officer said, they have then taken the
road IN the rear of Tacubaya, whieh am IN
structed to take unless you will give me pass
authorising me to convey them direct through
Iacnbaya. On arriving in the ALLEY OF Iolu-
ca, Capt. Hardie was met by tie Governor OF
The State. who i'll like manner hquired where
the two reinforcements had bsn met by the
American dragoons, and frankb admitted that
500 men more had day gone f9ward to reinfor
ce the city. The chivalrous Hardie remarked
to the Governor that such Focedure was in
violation Of the armstice, towhich the Cover
nor replied, Struggling his 5houders, saying,
you, my dear sir, know Santa Anna. and
should know that he is voitake Of public and
private faith He protest "a, however, that the
government Of that State Eas not responsible
for the dishonerable act. Capt Hardie return
with his escort and tqin 10 Tacubaya on the
29th If August, and ims ediately eommun'cat-
ed these facts 10 Genen Scott, who took no
notice of them.
Now, if a reinfarcemnt of 800 men should in
one day have turned IT, flank Of the American
army and entered esci'y Of Mexico, it Is not
matter Of surprise that Santa Anna should
have collected an army Of $4,000 strong from
other sources that we're not obstructed by our
army. only state the fact; you may come to
your own conclusions on the stupidity or mist
uationo of General Scott, who tolerated it F"
So far Gen Worth. The armiss'ce was ter
minated by Santa Anna on the very day desig
mated to Capt. Hardie by the Governor Of the
State of Mcgee Although, nm iortunateiy,
Santa Anna isnot devoid Of military talents.
add to which Il is a keen observer Of character,
and hasing al~ady played SO well upon your
oyerweeningeredu'ity, Cen Scott ne adro't'y
set tor you II fatal trap of Moline del Rey