Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1852-09-15
WEDNESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER Is, 1851


specCu maas W Dchdtui AioucbVu, at iatS
meeting Of the Winchester Democratic As
ISOLATION:
"1he hero Of San Jacinto was received with
laundering cheers. The audiaDce felt they
had before them great representative Of the
progressive democracy--one of the men who
make empires and sustain them. Nor was
the address, for thoroughness and vigor, out
3f character. The General carried the war
into Africa In bis criticism of Scott, not mere
ly as a statesman, but as a military leader.
lie would not stoop to defend Franklin Pierce.
He knew that his uniform and establiehcd
soundness as national democrat, his exper-
fence and capacity as a statesman, aud his
character as q gentleman, needed no defence
from him (the speaker) or from any other
OF bis numberless supporters. In dissecting
and exposing the characters Of Fuss and
Feathers" he disclaimed the slightest wish
to deprive him of one Of his deserved laurels.
But his public acts were fair aud proper sub
jects of public scrutiny. He took the pom
pous Scott from College; traced him brief
less lawyer, driven to seek commission 10
time Of peace; exposed bis early insabordi-
nation, the frequent quarrels with his brother
officers into which bis petuent and domineer-
ing temper brought him; depicted the ugly
cloud thrown over his career from the war OF
1872 BY sundry unexplained transactions; and
passed on to consider bis rasbness in the field
and bis credulity in council just ridiculc
was bestowed ON the appropriation to Scott
Of all the glory Of Bridgewater and Niagara,
which justly belonged to the commander In
chief, Gen. Brown
1.-THE speaker then examined the Mexican
campaigns, and undertook to show that 1t ox-
hibitcd lack of comprehensive forecast aud
prompt decision in tue General The facili
ty with which Santa Anna deluded him into
delay whereby tue Mexican army was re-
organized in treble force and two thousand Of
the brayest americans who ever bore mus
ket were needlessIy slaughtered, was shown.
eve have the details of this curious episode
in the campaign, and shall publish them next
week. The audience were asked so imagine
for n moment, Gen. JacksoR's falling into
such a trap-Jackson, who, by his famous
night attack of the Odd Of December. struck
terror into the British camp, and then beat
them back with the immense carnage of the
9Th OF January, at the expense Of only tbir
teen men killed and wounded. Gen H. was
well qualified for criticism of this kind--hav-
ing himself routed and captured Santa Anna,
at the head Of four or five times his own force,
with loss of but four mea-a great con
trast to the sacrifice Of life ia all of SCOTS
battles.
"The speaker then turned bis attention to
the civil qualifications of the statesman with
ehis brains in his epulets.' His unsound-
ness on the sectional question was graphical
| " displayed: aid the vaccillating ignorance
caused in his political views was well Illus
trated by an anecdote of Dutchman who
undertook to find his COW on both sides of
the creek-the way in which SCOTS position
would have to be sought"
The above is the most gross aud abusive
attack we have yet seem upon Gen. Scott
from any man in high station We should
think that Gen. Houston, of all men, would
be the last TO derogate from the services of a
gallant soldier, as he himself has been the
victim of the most mercilcss castigation by
some of his Texas countrymen, who have de-
nouDced him as the greatest humbug of the
age in his military pretentious, and as having
been forced by others to fight the battle Of
San Jacinto sorely against his own incliua-
tions. But the self conceit and assurance of
Old Sam are beyond all bounds A respec-
table Indian fighter, and fortunate man in
single battle with a superior force of Mexi
cans, be believes himself competent to criti-
cisa tho oroatoet oona,als ,f III, o,a an1 -
fully satisfied that he could have conducted
the Mexican war with infinite greater success
than Scott and Taylor. He couldm be de-
luded' by Santa Anna. Oh, no. And yet,
this same Houston after his troops had ac-
tually captured Santa Anna, allowed the willy
prisoner to delude him to death, and slip out
of his fingers upon the faith Of certain prom
Uses which it was obvious he would neither
have the power nor the inclination to perform
So much for his tact, and an illustration of
his military genius is, that claiming the Rio
Grande as the boundary of Texas he was
never able to obtain five minutes possession
of her in that neighborhood till Old Zach
Taylor showed him the road A brave man
no doubt, but as Ignorant of military science
as the Dutchman's COW, undertaking to prove
that the Mexican campaign exhibited lack
of comprehensive forecast and prompt decis-
ion in the General !" Let Vera Cruz, Cerro
Gordo, Contreas, Cherubusco aud the Next
can Capital be his answer And if the eur
ious episode to which he refers was an err
ror, let him include bis Democratic general
in the same condemnation with Scott. As
to the loss of life, suffered by Houston and
jackson. it will be time enough to delate up
on that. when it can be shown that either of
them, in the open field, stormed such almost
impregnable Notifications as those which at
every turn crossed the path of Scott to Mex
leo,
The attacks upon Scott private character
ara in tho sama axecra hla faeta anI fa,,rar