Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-09-23

Gen. Scott, that he should have nothing to dc
with the disposal of the million" GEN. Scoti
repeated that 1t was for Mr.. Trist to determine
whether be could properly use the money: add.
ing tnat ne would assist him to the control of il
II he desired it.
oy shls ume movement was made to break
up the conversation, when General Shields OBJ
served, that General Cadwallader had expressed
no opinion, which brought out the remark from
GENERAL q. that enough had been said, and so
ne said nothing; and nothing more was said on
the subject. :.
What, now, is the merit of Gen. Pillows pro.
test against a measure fully approved of by
him at one time, when it appears that out of a
whole body of general officers there was but
one dissenting voice, very mode rately Y expressed
coupled with declaration in approval Of the
an0tires of those who sanctioned the measure.
and pledge to defend those motives Can
the people Of our country imagine that dis
honorable measure could have been freely
talked over, by body Of American Generals,
without calling forth burst of Indignation
Gen. Pillow even approved of it i'm council, a
doubtful recommendation, / admit, and il was
not until the next day that, perhaps, discover
ing that the scheme was not likely to succeed,
as, indeed, it did not, for the measure was
never executed, he slyly prepared paper, to
be raked up in after years. to show to the adj
miring world how exquisitely he felt for the
honor of his country. Is there any manliness
IN this anything, indeed, but what smacks of
Gcn. Pillow, who-and here is another point
equally to his discredit-cIaimed in HIS official
report that the battle Of COntreras was won in
accordance with ms plan Of battle, when as il
perfectly well known, after hearing the details
OF the plan, as proposed by Gen. Persifsr +.
Smith, through that accomplished and modest
engineer officer, Col. then Capt. X. B. Loe,
took Mr.. Nicholas p. Trist aside, and privately
declared to him, that he, Gen. Pillow, had no
confidence In the plan, and charged him to re-
member that he told him sO9 Twas present at
the headquarters Of Gen. Scott, at San Angus
tine, the evening or night of the 10Th Of August,
iS4I, when Capt. Lee came in from the ad-
vanced post of Gen. Smith, and reported to
Gen. Scott plan for taking Contreras by as
sault the next morning as suggested by Gen
Smith In the course of the examination of
the plan by Gen. Scott, Generals Pillow and
IWlggs came in. The divisions Of these two
Generals were both in tho field before Contre-
ras, two or three miles from San Augustine.
Gen Scott modified the plan in one, not very
essential point and directed Capt. Lee to carry
his approval to Gen. Smith, with instructions
to execute it. movement was then made
towards the door by Generals Twiggs and Pill
low, when Gen. Scott remarked that as the
night was dark and rainy they might rs well
remain until the next morning Upon which
Gen. Twiggs observed, that :. his division was
in the field, and that his place was with to
but Gen. Pillow allowed himself very easily to
be persuaded to take a bed in General Scott's
quarters, and cas actually IN bed tho nsrt
morning, ichen tho assault sOaS snads upou
ContreTas, which was taken in seventeen min
utes by the watch, in accordance with the sur
gestions or plan Of Gen. Smith. Before retiring
TO bed Gen. Pillow, to be prepared for a dis
aster, or failure, expressly, but privately,
warned Mr.. Trist, with whom he was then on
intimate terms, that he had no confidence in
the plan and desired him to remember that he
had so declared himself. This fact had from
Mr.. Trist himself
This brings me to another point in Cen Pill
lows address, where he endeayors to make il
appear that Gen. Scott was most urgent in
seeking his esteem and confidence, garbling for
this purpose note from Gen. Scott, in which
he says: Permit me To repeat once more that
L have, from my first meeting with you, been
anxious from high opinion of your head and
heart, your intelligence, honor, zeal and yalor,
to win your esteem and confidence on ami
terms eOnSistent ruth Justice and honor"
The reader will bo astonished when he he ars
the true history OF the note from which this ex-
tract Is made, which is this On the afternoon
OF the 18TH Of August, when the strong post at
Contreras was invested. Gen Pillow being the
senior ofhcer OF the troops designated for ser
wee against that post, the General, as he al
most proved before the Court Of Inquiry, sub.
sequently, i'll an interview with General, then
Colonel, Riley suggested, as it would appear.
somewhat in the way of a query, Can you not
with your regimenD get into the rear of the
enemy and mako an assault there ?" Gen.
Rlley's recollection was by no means clear as to
what Gen. Pillow said, and ID was plain that
nothing that could be called plan Of battle
was suggested, much less ordered Gen. RiIey
did, however, succeed In reaching the rear Of
Contreras, and there repulsed handsomely a
charge oil Mexican horse; but no assault was
made upon Contreras.
This evening, as already stated, Gen. Smith
proposed night movement, by which body
OF men were to be thrown in u position for a
daylight assault the nsxt morning, from the di-
rectlon OF some timber beyond the position
reached by Gen. Riley the day before, and this
was the plan in which Gen Pillow, IA he de-
clared to Mr.. Trist, had no confidence. The
plan succeeded, and COntrsras fell easily into
the possession OF our forces, though occupied by
> 900 choice troops, with some twenty pieces of
under command Of Gen Valentia one
OF the most distinguished Of Mexican Generals.
Here were taken a number Of Mexican officer,
of high rank, both civil and military, and here,
too, were recovered two six Founders, SO nobly
defended, though hOnorably lost, at Buena Wis
ta in the preceding February.
AA e4AO VI D1IJie, Uen. Pll-
low, though actually in bed at San Augustine.
three or four miles from the scene of action.
when the battle came off, and after the secret
caution Of Mr.. Trist 10 remember his disappro-
val OF the plan for the assault, actually claimed
that the battle was fought after his plan, de-
Tending this monstrOus assertion subsequently,
by referring to some nsrsr-yet-csrti6sd some
thing, alleged to have been said to iien RiIey
the day before, which came to nothing, what
ever it was.
Now, the reader will please mark what fol-
lowed.
After the American Army had entered the
capital, and Gen. Scott had undertaken the
difficult and delicate task Of making general
report OF the operations Of the army in the
valley Of Mexico, for which purpose he was
Obliged 10 read very carefully the reports of
the various commanders who had respectf,Ily
reported upon their own operations, he fell
upon the report of Gen. Pillow upon the taking
OF COntreras. lie could not fail to notice the
absurdly and grossly false claim therein set up
OF having planned the method Of assault by
which that place was taken-haying certain
knowledge that the plan bad been proposed by
Ten Smith, under circumstances already stated
III became far la,, santt A.