Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1852-08-27
FRIDAY MORNING. AUGUST o. 1859 '1"--
,D5AlLY .IN,fELLiGENC GER.
? FRIDAY, Aus UsI' al, 1883.
WINFIELD SCOTT,
HIS LIFE As A G. COMMANDER
fConiinuea from Itsferaaya Paptr.l

| HuG oNiHWlN NtIEiliD SCOII, Eee,,ls,5
= HIS. LIFE AS A COMMANDER. 70 'G.a
GCoaii1u,a from Yesterdays Paptr.l li ''5'2
I 10 ArHI.-f.tafHll H-- 4-s} 81 iIiI. 1880 TtHHa
LEADS EXPEDITIONS TO BURLINGTON j,
-isr.,fgg III HEIGHTS AND YORK. e.as ..at.,!
For some time after the capture of Fort George
our army lay there, enrenched and inactive, under
a variety of generals: first Dearborn, then Lewis,
then Boyd, and then WILKINSON. During this time
the only enterprises attempted were the necessary
duty Of foragng ); and this was entrusted TO Col.
Scott He led out parties for this purpose twice
week. For every lond of provender that he got he
had to fight. Many sharp miniature battles did he
hayeuin this way, with al enemy always on the
watch for him; but his measures were always SO
well taken that he never failed TO be ucccSstul.-
In truth, how could have been otherwise q He
was not born to be beat either iii great battles or
SMALL In July he had the honor to be appointed
10 q double regiment, Or we may say, TO be made
Col. of two regiments at once; upon which he
laid down his Adjutant Generalslip In Septem-
Der an expedition against Burlington Heights where
the enemy was reported TO nave a large depository
of military stores, was planned and its execution
was given to Scott. He accordingly embarked ON
the little feet of Chauncey, and paid n military
visit 10 the heights but found nobody at home
TO receive him.. The stores, too, had disappeared,
as much as The men. 70 take their revenge for
the disappointment Scott and Chauncey detennin-
ed to- look i'll upon the enemy at York. So they
sailed ,thiher and made good landing, marines
| md soldiers, under Scotts command Here they
made themselves amends for what was not at Bur-
lington large depots Of clothing, provisions and
other military stores, with several pieces of cannon
and eleven armed boats were taken; ana the bar
rack ks and public sorehOuScs were destroyed alter
which, better satisfied our squadron returned to
Niagara f. HI5iat9at Eg2 ILL., ~ t'l5 slssAEY
WILKINSON MOVES TOWARD MONTREAL.
Meantime n descent. under Gen. Wilkinson,
had been devised which, if boldly carried forward
| N th,sl Of ,rnu1 IN almost entirely clil the
communication between Upper and Lower Cana
ada, and given lis permanent possession OF the
former. We commanded Lake Ontario, and held
both sides Of lhe Niagara. Our force there was a
strong one we had, then, only TO transport it, un-
der convoy Of Ghauncey's fleet, to the ontletofL.
Ontario, and descend the St. Lawrcncein boats i'll
order to reach Montreal. The passage down the;
river not sufficiently guarded by forts or troops,
and Montreal had garrison, when Wilkinson
abandoned the undertaking, of but 600 men,
Success, therefore, was certain. with Wilkinson's
army only; but, besides, Gen. Hampton was 10
have Joined him, from Chateaugue, in New York,
with strong division. This junction, Hampton,
from n fear Of falling short of supplies, failed to
make wiereupon, Wilkinson, thoughalreadytar
advanced on his enterprise and clearly within
reach OF its accomplishment, gave it up and made
iis way back to French Mills. Up 10 the moment
L of this unSoldierly decision. the expedition had
gone forward almost without check. Scott, tho
at first left behind TO guard his late prize, Fort
George ana erect for it better deienccs. had been
I'allpwed, upon The encmy'S withdrawing from that
quarter, TO leave Fort George TO Gen. McClnrc,,
and to hasten after the expedition, which he over
took, mt OgdenSburs. He Immediately sought and
obtained the post of honor--t!ic command of the
advance guard of the army, leading the way TO
every danger, every point OF resistance that was
TO be overcome, and doing it always allkc wlthdar-
ing, with prudence and with success. In tins
manner he passed. in the leading and largest boat,
the severe lire OF the strong British fort Yelling
ton; engaged and routed, at liooppole Creek, the
equal -fpfsci 900 men) Iofl C0la Dennis, pursuing
him until night and taking many prisoners; /; and
captured, after sharp fight, Fort Matilda, which
comma ndej the narrowest place on the whole st.
Lawrence. Thus, whatever the delays, tile ms
lakes, and the final failure OF an expedition which
under n vigorous General, would have covered it
self with honor Scott At least did himself cfedlt
throughout, performed all that it was his part to do,
and gained reputation while his old friend Wilkin-
son was losing 1t. gg sl s9EEa s.JlHtH. ...4.
SCOTT SELECTED TO INSTRUCT AND DE-
CIPLLlNE GEN. BROWNS ARMY FOR THE
NEXT CAMPAIGN. r t5lf
Thus far, those larger operations of the war,
which had been entrusted to the more vctern Gen.
erals were, except Harrison's overthrow OF Proc
tor, failures. 1t had become clear that either the
contest must be given up OF another KIND OF
commanders must be found. 1t was not that
these men We're To old, but that they were poor
soldiers. They had never known enough to, be
made generals of; and now they were too old to
learn. 1t is neither because a man is Old or be-
cause he is Young, that you can make hun safe
ly a leader OF armies. Nature must have created
him for it, and Art have perfected the WORK.
Nature made Jackson and a .raylor but she a
lone could never have made Il master OF war like
Scott. :. 40 -.,
All the conduct of this young officer made the
Government perceive, that in him they had 4 man
for victories. They had advanced him rapidly;
and the more advanced, the more had he shown
himself fit for command Indeed, 1t has been re-
markable in him. that no matter wnat +they nave
set him about, war or peace, fighting or negotia-
ting, he has always done it better than any body
else. ..,..E. ,,,r,7
He was now, i'll the winter of 1s13-14, called
by the President TO Albany, there to prepare all
tile supplies for the next campaign, and, under
instructions from him., to- consult on and settle
with Gov Tompkins certain important arrange
menis, political and military, which have not YET
been divulged. The business done, he was, on
the 9th of March, 1914, promoted TO the rank OF
Brsatlier General, aud sent to the Niagara IRON
tier there to form at Buffalo, bydlscipline and m
struction, as fast they arrived a new army,
meant to act there in t';s: next campaign, under
Major General Brown. That officer Withdrew lot
three months to SackcttS hafoor' IN to,oel W
leave this important operation entirely to Scott
He went about it accordingly with al his might.
We had heretofore used the old English, or ratii-
er Prusson system of tactics; but with poor driil
of even tlat he at once adopted the far more per-
| feet modern French one-tlat which we now en-
lplcy-and placing the whole. army in u Camp OF
instruction, huge practical military school, kept
them incessantly, for the next three months,
men and officers, at learning the whole bnsl-
ness of fighting. Frst, he taught the officers
land then they taught the men, Both B were tnpi mq
| ouehiy trained 10 all the minor evolutions. rms
effected, he went OF, to the higher movements, not
of mere squads and companies, battallions anu
regiments, brigades or divisions, but made them
skillful in the manGuvre fwholc armles and IN
word, accustomed them to all the duties OF the
| comn the march, and the battlefield. He did his
work thoroughly, and stopped not until he knew
that we had now one army fit TO cope with the
best troops of Britain. He hadreceiyed from Gen.
Brown raw recruits; he gave them back to nm
| n mere crowd, Ia mob with uniforms onD they
iaft him nm ;nyincbe host filled with martial skill