Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-09-30


does not perceive that if had accepted the position
Of a spy upon Gen. scOtt's movements, and had in
SO doing dishOnOred myself, that the President, in
imposing such duty upon me, was dishonoring him.
self. But accepted no such position, and he knew
it when he penned the article.
How despicably base must he be who will TINS
Intentionally fabFicratea falsehood in order to get an
opportunity of slandering the memory of the illus
triOus dead, and of venting the malice of his soul
against the man whom he tried to vicuise with his
false testimony before the courts of INQUIRY
Ii ne were now before court Of justice for the
first time and with an untarnished reputation.
would not this wiutiA JalsslOod utterly discredit
him2 =
Nearly ten years ago, in my defence before that
court (which was published % the world, denoune
ed him as dist'tue Of truth, Gonor and courage He
has pOeketed this whitening denunciation ever since
10 'ileHee. He now comes forth, protesting TO be
governed alone by the desire to protect the charac
ter of the "great SOLDIER and to enlighten the peo
pie of Tennessee to my claims to Senatorial hon
Ors-his malice MASKED with Jalsshood striking like
the assassin in the dark.
Ten years ago, when was under arrest, awaiting
a trial upon charges which he was expected to
prove he wrote an anonymous letter to the New ork
Courier and Enquirer in which he said: Pillow.
too, is in arrest he is SO /; and charges running
through several sheets of paper have been forwarded
TO Washington, and they represent him in such an
odious light that we cannot think of him but with
disgust. BE is charged with yzg and with dupliei-
y and freachey; in fact, his character is utterly
PROSTATE here"
Again he said: :" He Pillow could only have
received a slight blow of some sort possibly, he
struck his foot or ankle against some projecting
limb, without knowing what it was"
Gen. Scott, in his official report, said of this
'siight 6IO0' against projecting limo" This
gallant leader struck docn avhe ND cith The front
ranks by agonizing mound"
Again; Hitchcock says in his letter, al will
cOnfne my remarks to facts within nv own knowl-
edge" So then it appears that he had a personal
"no"Sedge of the facts told him in Trist's lies A
personal hnOwledgs of all that took place at Trists
quarters '0hen he tOas not present Though the army
had been fighting from II meridian till p. M. on
the 18th of August, under my orders, and with no
senior officer upon the field, he has a personal
knowledge that I had given no orders to Generals
TWiggs, Riley, Cadwallader or Col. Morgan. when
these officers all testify that had and when he sgas
not present.
On the morning of the 10th of August, when the
entrenched camp of Contreras was carried under
Smith, was upon the hill of Chepultepec, in fall
view of the sssaultng force, yet, he had personal
knowledge that 1 was in bed at San Augustine.
Again: Hitchcock says Trist told him that took
him into 'tP1iUate room ION the night of the ,9tb
ATarr offo Cor, III
the morning of the Goth, under Gen. Smiths SIG
gestiOn) and 1 told him (Trist) that disapproved
This plan, and notified him that washed nv hands
of the responsibility of the movement Now, it so
happens that this fact as stated by Trist, was en-
braced III SCOTS charges against me. Trist swore
to the fact, but the Court was satisfied that he lied
and found against him in this, as in all his other
testimony, and Hitchcock knew it, yet he now re-
wives and brings forward this proven falsehood of
Trists andrepeats it true, under his pledge "to
cOnfne himself to matters within his own knowl-
edge" But independently of this view of the sub
ject, why should L wish to wash my hands of the
responsibility of a measure ordered by Gen. Scott
He was in command of the army-my senior in
rank-and the entire responsibility would of course
rest upon him. Yet Hitchcock repeats this old dis
proven falsehOOd es if he himself believednl
Is further facts commentary necessary to show
the utter moral deprayity of this "Acng Inspector
General"
The other misrepresentation that deem it proper
to correct, relates to tina Puebla negotiations. In
my address made the following statement:
When 1 reached the Head Quarters of the army Of
Puebla, was invited to conference wi h Mr. Trist
On my arrival at his Quarters found Gen. Scott
there. Mr.. Trist informed me that he had opened
negotiations with Santa Anna and had pretty well
agreed upon the preliminaries of negotiations for
peace. By these terms Santa Anna was to be paid |
cash in hand, as earnest money, 10000 and our
army was to march to the valley of Mexico and Egbt
a battle before the City If we IRON, an armistice
was to be granted, and commissioners appointed to
treat for peace. When peace should be concluded.
Santa Anna was to receive million of dollars |
more.
Mr. Trist farther informed me that these farms had
been agreed 10, but it open question whetb-
IT Santa Anna or Gen. Scott, latter the battle was
0ught should take the initiative, and send the flag
II truce preparatory to the aTmisice-Santa Anna
insisting that Cen Scott should send the flag but
zen. Scott insisting, if he won the battle Santa An
IA should do So lie further said Gen. Scott had
furnished him the money, and that he had paid the
'lO,OUO required TO be paid in advance and that
Ten Scott had the means in the disbusriug depart
nent OF the army, could raise the means of paw
egotlauous. He also said ne had invited me to the
difference in pursuance of the order of the Presi-
ent, and desired my approval of the terms
l asked Mr.. Trist if there any law authorising
UGH a use Of the public money? He replied there
'as not l then asked him if the President had
such use oft He replied he had not;
ut he thought itlwas the best he could do
Regarding this as an improper use of the public
loney, and as bri5c to the commander of the enc
y forces, and as dishonoring the Government and
sg~aoeful TO our army, at once protested against
le whole matter.
Gen. Scott justified and defended the measure
9TH upon the score of morals and as to the usage
governments He said we were not corrupting
ANA Anna, for the fact that he was found in the I
arket asking bribe was proof that he was already
rrupted r
In regard to the practice of Governments, he said
was usage of all Governments to effect their pur
'ses, when necessary, by money, and that our s
)yernment had sanctioned the practice He said
e presents made by it to the Chiefs of Indian G
hes and to the Barbary powers, were nothing but :
ibes. lie further said that in the settlement of
North eastern boundary question, $780, 600 had c.
en- used-no one knows how but the officers of the d
unless it used to bride the Maine l.
ess. He mentioned other instances in which the
,vernment had expended large sums of money in a.
is way. fC
Finding Gen. Scott clear as to the ri1h of tbo
,asure and earnest in his cooperation with Mr. III
ist, not being familiar myself with the usages -.
other Governments, nor the practice of our own. u
doubted what ought TO do; and in Difference to u
wishes infringement, suspended my opposition ST
nl days rejection had confirmed my opinion of 20
~ to my country. On the night after the confer -
re took place, Gen Scott called council of Gen III
q ohcers' to whom he made known what had er
N done in the way of negotiation, and to whom
expressed substantially the views and opinions an
I've detailed. ~
5elng satisfied after reflection that my first i'm 10
ssions were right went next day to Gen Scott Hi
Mr. Trst, and protested so earnestly against the po
ole matter that they both said was right and m,
they would abandon the negotiations | then ,,
ught they were sincere in their purpose to aban-
it, and all idea ofpeace to be thus obtained Ing
will be from the above statement that the ign
ference spoken of was held in the day time and
Mr.. Trst's quarters, and that there was TO one ma
sent but Mr.. Trist, Gen. Scott and myself VIZ,
was at this conference that the terms of the wrC
citation agreed to by Trist were first made the
Wn to me. 1t was here that | made known nv and