The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-11-03
THE MEXICAN WAR AND THE EASTERN WAR

We resume our commentary on the parallel which the
Courier des Flats Uis has undertaken to draw between
the progress in the of the United States and
the Mexican republic and those Of the of
Britain and France on the one hand and Russia the
other.
The Courier proceeds to say in its remarks as to what
il insists the beginning of war with Mexico
namely landing Vera Cruz and the operations on that
line:
"And yet in what condition. with what forces had this
beginning taken place. 1t is necessary to refer to the jour
nails of the day form correct idea OF this There were
then many camors than raised with regard
to the affairs of the East there were also very different
part are but long complaint of the nsuhciency OF the
means placed at their disposal
Doubtless we shall find in of the American Journals
of that day complaints the management of the war
and it is quite true that there also very different
causes for those complaints from what there are at the
present the management of the war in the East
One complaint was that did not have victories fast
enough to CRAFTY the public appetite the complaint in
Great Britain and France for months has been that they
did not have any victories at all One complaint was that
the American left its generals with inadequate
forces which, nevertheless gained victories the present
complaint has been that the allies posted in Bulgaria. with
superor forces the Russians have left all the fighting to
Omar Pasha.
The Courier proceeds .
The dispatches of the Anerican generals, on their
part but ong complaint OF TIE ihsuelehoy VI ''
placed at their disposal
it's true that Scott and Taylor from time to time cali
ed for more troops but they took good care to ghl DAT
ties and win them besides whether they got more troops
or not. We do not know what sort Of complaints may
turn up when the dispatches of Sir Charles Napier Lord
Raglan Marshal de Saint Arnaud, Marshal paraguay
dHiers come to be published what we know u.s. thar
with adequate forces do anything they did nothing ex
cent to demoish the insignificant ouothe-way fort or
Bomarsund
The Courier proceeds
In fact it required all the good fortune which accom-
panies the flag of tho Union; it required above a .,e
enemy which American army had before it, that IT was
not cut in pieces again and again We may say that hu
ring the fifteen months this continued there was not
caught between fires And yet the very audacity OF
their advance this hostile country their only hope
of safety, thanks to the unheard-of posiuon III winch m
extraordinary want Of foresight had placed thein
We desire humbly to thank God for what the Courier
speaks of as dali the good fortune which accompanies the
of the Unonn and we are well content to surrender
anything of segratulaton for the of our arms
in SO Far as those may be aEcrbabe to the be-
nightly CT that Providence which has raised the pco-
pie Of the United States their present place among the
nations of Christendom But Indignantly repa the
mpuaton TINT our armies in Mexico would have been
cut pieces again again but for the character Of the
enemy we had before u.s. The Courier is unjust towards
the Mexcans as the late agca adventure of Raousse dc
Boulbon may teach it. Our enemy q brave one and
fought we'll tenacious in the field and undiscoafaged by
That our officers superior to theirs
in spirit is true hut balance Of advantages was fully
restored by the that they in their own country
in immediate contact with their resources and on every
occasion of encounter largely largely superior to US
in numbers and, generally, in positions chosen by them
selves Of great natural strength and which we were con-
strained carry by assault at the point OF tho bayone
may be that during all our campaigns in Mexico ihdre
was one day when the invading forces were not liable
TO be caught between two fires 2 but So il is not true
that the very audacy of their advance into this hostile
country was their only hope of safety The safety
of the troops of the United States in Mexico con-
sisted in the strategic and tactical skill OF their gen
erals in ae jealous corporation in the courage, the
science and The galantry of the field and subordinate
officers and in the bsavery and universal spirit OF pona
neos and emuous gaany of the rank and file OF the army
T,eren WINS our true and "ogy hope of safety" and
under God the secret of triumphs As for the ex-
traordnary want of foresight which the Courier supposes
had placed us in an "unheardof position tas 10 mere
delusion The position in which we were placed was ~
every stage Of it, designed and calculated one; nnd AS
the events proved calculated With extraordinary foresight
not extraordinary want of III for the published cores
pondence between the War Department and the generals in
chief command shows conclusvey that the great move
ments were thoroughly planned and of them may bc re-
peaed the proud phrase applied to Carnot that victory
was organized by the Secretary of War; and as to par
tcular great battles examples are not wanting oil every
movement of battalion and every successive stage OF
the engagement being marked out beforehand in orders
MS by Scott at Gordo and by Taylor at Monterey
The Courier proceeds with two three paragraphs of
very serious dsquisiton upon the value of prudence In
war with pertinent illustrations derived from Napoleon
compagns in Spain and Russia We do not requoe these
paragraphs at length We freely admit the value OF pru-
dence The French and English have been prudent very
according to the theory of the Courier well in the
Baltic in the Black sea Prudence is saving yir-
tue The Courier commcnds the prudence Of Bara-
quay d'Hiers and of Napier in attacking Bomarsund
rather than Cronstad and the prudence Of Lord Raglan
and Marshal dc Saint Armand in keeping their troops
Of harms way during all the little troubles the Danube
between Omar Pasha and Prince Gortschakon. With
proper prudence it is certain that win die Of
camp fevers than Of gun-shot wounds And accepting in
this respect the reproaches and the of the Courier
confess with all due penitence and humiliation, that it
with prudence of this kind that Taylor and his
generals fought their way from Corpus Christi to Matsmo-
ros from Matamoros to Monterey and from Monterey to