The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-08-11


p,taJ, ser rcn .,st ,ncrs tht; might adn,t oe
lie Coming q the kn wedse oF the enemy, and
the nthr had nt carried despatch viii, much
xps.iitinn a. you t.'' .ht he might have done.
IA CHE general officer. tt urt I" try him
,,usi hevr been composed Of otiic 'rs of high
rank Before the order ir assembling it cou,d
have reached Mexico, 1t we. s,reseen that your
command would bp a, Vera Cru. an1 probably
eng cd in an active ri'ge Of .h,tc:.s, OHIO
-rs coa'd n 1t therefore have been then san from
ynur column to Monterey or the Rio G:sna !.
twlere IL" c 'ort must have been Eeld.) witlnn,
grca, de'siment IL the public service. Had
you been deprived nj sew r,l officers Ct ii Oh
rank atthlt critical period by fh. Order "i the
President, ii would have aft riea better pre-.
fence nf CON, paiut than any onr III your rXtrn-
ird catalogue. Had the curt been co,uposed
Of officers ,ahn from Genera, Taylors COM
| maiiu, it would have still further weaken, d his
condtton, air, ady Weak IN con" 9lence o' the
very large force ynu had Withdrawn from h,n.
Subsequent events have proved that il Was most
.or:una.e the President did not comply " III
your request, { r, had n d ne 80, some &c he
officers highest in rank, and mnst conspicuous
a. Bns m Vista. NJ eh,, at that critical conjnnct
ure have ben operated from their commands,
| and enrnyed on Q curt at distance from h,t
glorious scene ~ action. i is not fancul 10
suppose that their absence nigh, hav. changed
tn. tor nur Of that even fHl day and t!:a'. m
| stead "f rejo cling, as we now do, III 4 tSininph-
| ant Wet ry--among ib. INST brilliaH, IN the
VIII H. course of the war-wr might have had 0
lament a IN st dis,sros defrat, and the almost
total loss If the wh l.. force you had left t. .us.
| tain that frontier No man had m,re reason
than Yourself 10 RI ic,. that ord n c.nanat d
from Washington tn ugh re9u' strd by you,
which " uld " further impaired tn. eticien-
! =
that then awatd him
NJ letter % the 23I of February, conveying
| III" Pres drnt's view in his app-"p,ia," corn
'nand is severely arrairned oy you as off, ms W.
both in mlnnr and matter. ..as
Tn, fac IN n iition I" this case Of alleged
gs evarcr a" now b"'"rc III pub! C, and brief
ai.us on 10 ih-:n will place The tran action in
t. t;u. light Under your ordrrs Col. Harvey
had brou ght Sven companies his reg ueni-
III dag ons-troin NJ mercy to he Brason
| b. uader Y " immediate coum nd and
| two others.-b.,y all of the regiment IN NJ, e.
cu-werc expected 20 FIJI " within a few DAYS
~ t,a midst Of al, high hopes and ardent desire
Tar active service, you took ir III hun the c m
nani # his vn reg,n Mt, devoved it one
If hi. jnni.r "tfic rs, AMI ordered him b~ck to
G-n raylers line to l"ck ter what was not in
| appropriately d, n nlnl..d IAN ina mary C m
mand." Data red in his feelings and injured
in his right, he respectfully remnnstra. d ; his
| appeal to your sense ofjus ice W. unavaling
N-lh"r 20 tn gallant officer nor to tn, Presi-
d-At did You as sign any sufficient even
| plausible reason for hi. extraord n,rv prlcard-
inr. T..r whole army, BE- l,-vr, and he whole
! country, when the Transaction became KIN wn,
| enter aimed but one opinion on thu subject
aud that was, that you had inflicted on injury
and Oh au rage upon brave and meritnrous
4.
assuming csmmand-bodsd disastrous con- @.
qnencrs t" the public service, ans devoived up
on the President the duty Of intrrp sing tn pro-
tect the mi urea officer This interpolation you
have made a grave matter of accusation AGAINST
the head Of the War Department, and have
hnrac'er Znd it as a censnrr ard rhuke. II
may imply bih, and still, being meritrd. may
leave you W thnut pr.irnce FIR Complaint
The fres dent, after abiding t, his duty 10 sus
tam The rights Of the offiears under ynur
command a. we'll as your own rights in TIL.
matter, informed you TINT he did not discover in
h case, rs v"u had presented it, sufficient
cause i"r such an order that, in h s opinion,
Col. Harvey had IA just cause to Complain: and
that he h ped the matter had been rrcnnsdrred
by you, and the colonel res stored to his rppro.
pirate cotnmlnd. fonr own subs"qurn: Course
in THIS case demonstrates the unrea ohablencss
of your comp!tint, and niicl'es the Correct
NESS OF the Pres dents proceedings Ynn had
reilly rebukcd and c'nsured vnHr own conduc,;
tor even before you Ind lived he President s
views, you had, As he hoped you would recon
sid red the matter, become C ,nvinced of your
error, reversed your own order, and restored
Col Harvey HIS CON n,nd; thus giving the
strongest evidence III favor ofiha proprc,y and
correctness OF all the Pres dent hid doaa in the
case. ! give yon too mnch credit for s,eadness
Of purp"s', 10 SUSPECT that Yen rc.raced ynur
steps from more caprice, or for any other cause
than conviction that you had fallen int" error.
After the matter had thus lcrmina ed, it apnrars
nnaccnnntablr 30 me that you, who above all
others sh u d ~i, it To- pass into oblivion. have
agarn called attention to it by making it an rem
in vrur arral snnent of the War Department.
Ynu . lie IN VI 10 vindca,e Your Course
this case, b re'c.rtng TO y ur own acts in til
campcign oil lS,4 YOU til, II sent away, az YOU
a'leg", against their wishes, "hrre senior field
rihcrrs ut AZ many regiments who were s.infr m
uniastrucfed, and inefficient, in favor Of three
juniors, and with the subsrq ,ent arprnba;inn OF
M"jr General Brown and the head Of the War
Department This pr, ced"nt does not, in my
judgn change The aspect # the presen,
case. c lionel H,rney was not ',nfism, min
structcd, and IN tfic'en,;'' you d d no, assign,
and in drfe.encr TO the c,un ~, y,u DID no,
do not ind rstand the force nfy"ur 10 gical de-
ducli n hat, bccausr y,u. On i,Inrr coca.
son, had d. pr,ved officers undr y"u"f their
c,,nibands t ynnd and sufficient reasons, wi h
subsequent approval, v u may n Nv, and at any
me. do the same thing with Il any raSun
what, yer; and if the Pr.sr rnt in'-rpases g.,
'rrect The procedure, YOU hay' n lust cause t.
complain III an indi .nty aud tight to ar aign
the War D'parm nj. .a .-.
A. v, ur al IN diversion upon the tone Of INV
Letter s prob b., no, blow aimed at much
more con.pcu Ms Of CT, 10 lie reach, d through
m, ought, perhaps, I" pass It W thout notice
Olrevisl"n 4 that letter cannot perceive tina
t liz GOT rntirly respectful in mann and ,an
gu,g" The views 1T the President are there
IN confidently cxprcSssd. nccau,e they were
confidently entertained. l. set med tn be ADM,
ed by you, ihu''i dc ated I the grecnes, gen.
eral nf lii" rce'Dt appointnirn $ The letter
would nut have been "xapiouab". ] was not
aware ,h1t II vas my du y To modify and gradu
az sy.e s. t., met, according 10 y"uI
tas di u views tn" v,ri It's d gr"rs If green
ness AID rireness o. he z n.sals /" v hom an.
required To convey the orders If thu Pr s,drn'
aud for any euch dr'ct in my "ifictal crm.
mhnirs'i IT'S have no apology IT, offer
In the same letter, wh,rr,n YOU cpmpa,
being cen ured for your roursr in relation T..
f, e un.v" ihl LAY, wise, it It had not been
I'm .iiaalc, rcea G, on p1rni", OF the prs nrrs
taken a, T.. rrp Gorda. even before one w.rd of
commentator from govrrnm. mt had reached
this army on account of It's gall INT c"nduc, in
the capture f,hose pr sanrs' Accident alone
not any "versl ght 'r n"glrc. on my part
has given y"n thu appar. nj advantage e the
aggravation which you have artuliy thrown in
To lh.s charge Ny letter commanding Your
self and the gallant army under YOUR command
for the glorious achievement at Crrro Gordn,
was w:i'ten and sent to you nn the 18Th of May
-e'ev days b,to that which you are Pleased
I" C ms der as c. ntiinng rebuke
But meet the main charge with n positive
denial. You never were r,buked tor d lscharg-
ing the prisoners Ia ken at Cerro Gordn. THIS
is sue can be ri. d hy he RI, ,rd All that was
ever said on the suhjct is contained in the fol.
lowing extract from my letter Of the 3lst Of
May
"Your Gus hitherto in relation to prisoners
Of war, DO h mrn and officers, in dlscharg ny
them on parole. has been liberal and kind but