The Tiffin tribune. [volume] (Tiffin, Ohio) 1848-1859, 1857-02-13
Who shamos scribbleri Break ono cobwcb

Who shames scrbblerl Break one cobweb
through,
lie spins the slight seif.pleasing thread anew
Destroy bic web Of sophistryi in vain
The creaturo'sal his dirty work agsih.
The following is the reply Of secrets
~ Davis:
War Department, Feb. 90, 1856. /
Sir | received your letter dated Jan
UaFy 81. and proceed TO notice its con
tents:
"You have persisted in making your
letters official, and have thus forced
upon me the obligation to receive them
and reply in such terms as seem to me
appropriate, to the baseless accusations
which derive the only importance from
the high standing you occupy.
"Another instance Of your capacity, in
she same breath to beg for sympathy and
utter SANDER, is your accusation that
have endeayored to provoke a duel with
an old soldier, known TO be so lame in
both arms as to write with difficulty aud
pain.
"Those ignorant Of the fact, that the
great disability Of which you complain
was the result Of fall upon the pave
ment in New York. would naturally in
fer from the introduction Of the phrase
old soldier, that you were by wounds
received in battle disqualified for self.
defense, and every generous heart that
believed your assertion. would visit with
indifant censure the unmanly attempt
to involves wounded veteran in personal
combat. But no such purpose was en-
tertained. You had given notice to the
world that you would not act upon the
sentiment which makes a gentleman res
ponsible to any one whom he assails when
in the vigor Of manhood. You pleaded
a sense Of religion and patriotic scruples
as reasons for not answering to the per.
sonai defiance Of an aggrieyed officer,
Gen. Jackson. your superior in rank, and
and infinitely above you in every other
respect-and il was not to be supposed
that you would, at this time, take a diff
ferent ground. But no disability, no
age, no plea Of conscientious scruples can
be admitted, to shield a sanderer from
reblke, and when yoI gratut)usly inn
puted to me motives injurious and Of
tensiye to me as a man, l addressed TO
you an unofficial note, aud fixed on you
the brand Of falsehood, which you vain.
Ily endeavor to wash away with your
unfailng food Of abusive epithets.
Your obedient servant,
JEFF. DAVIS.
To Brevet Lieutenant General Win
field Scott, U. s. A.
TO this communication General Scott
repliee as follows, under date Of March
20th
"Again you recur to my Past history
and my court martial Of 1910. Now
your thrice told tale again and again re-.
futed and put TO shame, but which, with
Caliban malice, that needs must curse,
you are likely to reproduce to the end
of the chapter, if only 10 give me the ad
vantage, as you say, Of referring to a par
ticular passage of my histdry@this, to
such a spirit, il not victory, is. yet re.
venge.
10 this the Secretary of War returus
lengthy reply, and General Scott agair
retorts:
my silence, under the new provoca
! ton, has been the result FIRST Of pity, anc
: next of forgetfulness. Compositions i,
4. always due to an enraged imbecile VIII,
lays about him blows which hurt onl,
himself, or who, at worst, seeks to stiff,
/ his opponent by the dint of naught,
words.
f The following is the concluding lette
4 Of the correspondence:
"War Department. May 81, 1856.
"Sir l have received your letter o
/ the Goth inst. The delay for which yor
make hypocriLical apology has strength
ened you to resume the labor Of viius-
ration, out having only in this correspon
dence stamped up with falsehood, an,
! whenever you have presented tangibl
} point convicted you by conclusive proof
have ceased to regard your abuse, an,
as you present nothing ia this lette
which requires remark, am grati6ed /,
be relieved from the necessity of fur
ther exposing your malignity aud depray
lily.
Your obedient sevrant,
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
| I 4