The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-08-18

aEtt0no euppisee rom the main depot on the
sssi !; the army might have been strengthened
by reinforcements at an earlier period; and ma
ny Of the revolving scenes of be,bari,y on the
road from Vera Cruz to Jalapa; in which SO
many lives Of our fellow citizens have been sa.
crificed BY the ruthless guerrilleros, would have
occnred.
Another and still more lamentable calamity
Is think, fairly To be aecribed to the early ob
struction OF this imp rtant line OF cominua.css,
on. The brave aud patriotic men VI !,
hurried on to Mexico, in srn.n '"'' ''"sxn,c-
order to reinforce .nrd a, Vera Cruz un-
=, ,;y1..,.shrrs The re collected were sulicieht
-. s;yc,, their way through the strong guerrilla
hands winch held the difficult passes on me ia
Ia, ,,ad While thus detained on tina, inhos-
pitable coas,, in the sckly season, they were
exposed to the attacks OF a wasting pes'ilcnce,
more formidable, md, lis is unfortunately prov
ed. more destructive than the Mexican army.
when the unwelcome news eff the premature
discharge OF this large body of volunteers
received here, unaccoinpanied by any expana-
ton to show the necessity of the act, il excited
very general surprise and regret Its conse
quences we're at once fore scen; but the step
hid been taken, and could not be retraced. 1t
was loudly condemned Many did not believe
that measure which appeared to be 50 unwlse
and IN urious to the operations OF the army
could have emanated from yourself; hut they
were less charitable towards the President and
Secretary of War. Both were denounced for
what YOU had done they were unscrupulously
charged wi h weakness and incapacity; with
being sctuatcd by hostility toyou, and desire
to secure popularity with the volunteers Nor
were these bitter assaults interInled until il be-
gan to be suspected that they were misdirect.
ed
If you really regarded, on the 9th Of May, the
augmentation Of your forces as being OF such
vital importance, it is almost us difficult to ac
count for the course taken 10 re engage the vo-
lunteers, as for their premature discharge.
am misled by information on which ] ought to
rely, it many Of these volunteers would not
have continued in service, il proper measures
had been taken al Jalapa, while they were in
dulging the hope of participating in further tr-
umphs, and of being among those who would
enjoy the enviable distinction of first enter
| ing a. victors the proud capital of the Mexican
republic. Though the subject was there pre-
sented to their consideration, no vigorous efforts
| seem TO have been madc-no attempt to form
new companies, or to muster them into service,
until this powerful nducement was weakened
or withdrawn, until they had been detached
from a victorious army, Us if no longer deemed
worthy to be part Of it-sent sixty miles to-
| wards their homes into pestilen''ai region,
and there brought with the sympathetic infu-
| ence Of the sentiments which 1t was natural
| that many should feel and manifest at the mo-
ment OF embarking to return to their families
and friends. Considering the manner in which
| the Presidents order this subject was at
tempted to be executed, it is not strange that
among more than three thousand patriotic vo-
lunteers, sent away by your order OF the 4th OF
May, only about fifty individuals were found
willing to re-engage
You seem to have suddenly conceived the
notion Of converting the army, " like Cortez,
+" into a self sustaining machine and, to make
the resemblance between yourself and the
| Spanish hero more complete. you INDUCED a
dream Of fancy, until you seem to have adopted
it as a matter Of belief, that you were" deemed
at Washington" and you became, like him,
always afraid that the next ship or messenger
might recall or further cripple you. 1t should
not be forgotten, that the design ct this
unaccountable military movement was first
communicated to Mr.. Tiist, before you had
given any in,imation of it TO your government,
and while under the perturbation OF mind which
his unwelcome presence in Mexico had pro-
duced Had you confided this extraordinary
plan Of campaign to him after the "happy
| change" in your relations-after you had di-
gested his F" farrago Of insolence, conceit, and
arrogance'-and after he, too, misaking noto-
riety for fame, had sought to win it by disobey-
ing the orders of his government, defying ITS
authority, and assailing its conduct-ihis dis
tinguishing mark Of your confidence in him
would have caused much less surprise. This
novel conception, so suddenly adopted, was as
suddenly carried out your army was, indeed
converted into self sustaining machine; you
discharged the twelve months volunteers, and
broke up your posts at Ialapa and on the way
to your main depot. "Resolved," you an
nounced, no longer to depend on Vera Cruz
or home" you put yourself beyond the reach OF
the supplies which had been provided by the
government, and rendered yourself, in great
measure, inaccessible to the recruits and levies,
Except in strong parties) which had been raised
10 augment your command. In this way, "o
rendered unavailing, for time "t ieas' an t'a'
! had been or could be dore by the asslduous
and incessant labors of the War Department in
| all its brant hes and then you rcckiessly pu:
forth the groundless complaint of a total want
of support and sympathy" from it.
Your letter Of the 25th July, which was not
received at Washington until the Both of De-
cember last, abouns with complaints against
! the department, and refers in strong terms to
the wants and suffcrings Of the army at that
| time. Befure you ventured to make its then
destitute condition ground OF charge against
the War Department, you ought to have recoi-
lected that thesei afh c,ions tell upon it in the
midst If your experiment of making 1t "a SELL
sustaining machine" ard were the legitimate
fruits OF that experiment. These suffering>
came upon it before your estimated period Of
isolation from Vera Cruz andhomeward had hall
expired When you had designedly and un
| necessarily abandoned both, and entered upon
your self sustaining position, "cut off from all
supplies and reinforc ements from home, unit
perhaps late in November" by what pre,encs
Justice do you complain O. the War Depart
ment for the distress you thus voluntarily intic-
ted upon yourself and the gallant army under
your command Something very different from
censure and reproof is due for the extraordinary
efforts which were successfully made TO reach
you with recruits and supplies in your seques
tered situation and to rescue you from the en-
barrasments in which your illjudged measures
had involved you. have brought into view
| this unaccountable movement Of yours, with nc
purpose to make any comment upon it asa mill
tary measure, but solely to show that the evils
resulting from it not just grounds Of accu
sation against the War Department, and that
the la5ored attempt to pervert them to such a
| purpose discloses the manner and spirit with
which you have executed the assumed task oil
its accuser.
As you have INDUCED 10 The widest range Of
speculation in regard 10 the alleged sinister mo
tives and covert designs of others, feel less re
luc,ant to present my views as to the main OBJ
! ject Of your last communication. Throughout
the whole of it, and particularly in the conclud
ing part, you manifest the utmost solicitude to
place yourselfin the position Of injured and
prosecuted man. With all the aid you can de.
rive from dexterous strategy, you will be likely
to fail in your attempt unless you can have the
full benefit of your high coloring ofsome facts,
and your forgetfulness Of others, together with
all your fanciful conjectures and surmises
Your recall is, you assert, the long suspended
"blow Of power" which you had the sagaciiy
clearly to predict. 1t is somewhat remarkable,
| thnt your prediction preceded the events which
/ you Imagine provoke that blow. As early as
the 25ih Of July, soon after 1.-THE happy change
in my (your) relations, both official and private
with Mr.. Tris,," you looked you say, "to be
dismissed, you are entitled to all the credit Of
the fulhIment Of your own early prediction
In presenting in its true light the President S
compliance with your own request to be recall
ed, which you denominate your dismissal,
may be obliged 10 strip it Of the embellishments
| you have ingeniously thrown around it; though
in doing this, you may be deprived Of much mp
on which you depend to sustain your claim to
be considered prosecuted man.
II. 81 1,l