The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1857-02-25


/ tarY Darts. recently communicated 10 congress
and about which considerable curiosity has oeeA
expressed, and to judge from tlas specimens ~
give, It is bitter and personal 10 an unusual de-
gree On both sides II opens with d letter sroa d
general Scott, dated Jaly 80, 1855, IN which
he say:
Certainly, as secretary Of war, ron bare Gene
enough 10 warrant more than q suspicion 1as'-
from The frzs, JON had considered Il E0'zE SEEe-
c;&1 missions By repeated agg5Tess'oas o2 my
rights and feelings, TO eoad ne into some Per
iloas altitude Of official opposition
Then follows a long COMM Qn1calion, ses1lB9
forth official acts Of tie secretary OF gar sucH
Is issuing orders, dc. 10 frontier Ps<ts. deae,
without his (eeneral SCOTS appreciation.
=. 1t the request of general Seo-, thls toeu-
n1ent 4as referred to tie president, and referred
= In reply. seSeiary Davis sent the following
unofficial Bote:
TAsH1SeTox. Aug. 2. lG55--Sr-Toa our let
Ter Of the 30th July was received yesterday,
and, IS requested. was referred 10 the president
! When returned to me- ii will be answered. 1on
have taken the occasion OF an official CORES
pass1ence 10 make unfoaaded inpuiatl0ns upon
mr. motives. and TO use such language IS n :
idea Ct the requirements OF official courtesy does
not permit me- to notice in my official character
aud | therefore adopt this unofficial mode
You aserjbe 10 Bartizan hostility ny opposition
to comforting on YOU the title OF lieutenant gen
eral but that opposition Was actively and pub
licIy made when was member oil the United
States senate. and chairman OF the committee
Of military affairs. You were then known 10
IL "A rr3I As1
not been forced upon public attention as par
tizan politician, nor as such been judged By the
people or approved By me- Tou certainly had
better opportunities TO know OF H1y opposition
then than when i! was merely that OF a well sci
tied and long entertained opinion held By he in
position which separated me from pariic!pao
ton in the active business in congress. BY
views were publicly given as a senator TO sufh
Gent extent TO show On hat my Judgment rest
ed, and your present accusation, which charges
me with usurpation for the most unworthy ends;
and imputes TO NE motives inconsistent with Of
fetal integrity. Is considered basely malevolent
and pronounced utte1T false.
Your obedicnt sergant. JEFF. DAVIS.
This note. though unofficial, is replied to b.
general Scott officially. who insists upon spread
ing j. upon the files Of The department. This
reply is dated August 6. and secretary Davis
rejoins again September 7, at grea: length, and
reviews the specifications in general Scots in
3lctmeHt against him.
The general next grants leave Of absence 10
colonel Hitchcock. under circumstances not ap-
proved by the department, and is ordered to
,ounternand or revoke the leave OF absence,
This he refuses TO dc, assigning his reason
therefor. This reason was referred to the pres
dent, who endorsed the reason assigned a. IN
satisfactory. The secretary OF war will report
us views as to tie means best calculated 10 ST.
ure prompsitude in the execution Of orders rel
live TO the movements OF the army.
Secretary Davis recommends that the bead
quarters Of the army Be removed from New
[ ok to the seat Of government.
The following letter from general Scott is in
nswer TO this suggestion;
HEADQUARTERS OF THE AMY.
New York, Sept. 60, 1856.
Sir-With all the records Of the army and
very compulsory assistance at hand, you have
= toll Of more than five weeks on what to
our nature must have been a labor Of love-
cured only upon me in twenty seven compact +
'oscap pages, this full measure of your spleen .
nd vengeance Us precursor waa savage and
bur the slowly concOcted venom now
ented is no doubt fvndiy relied upon to kill at
nee. The felonious intent is clear enough
eyertheIess, you may be forced TO borrow the
reclamation. IT'S not done, and the attempt,
nd not the deed, confounds US
This is followed by a long defence of his +
ause, coucbed in rather strong language
The secretary Of war replies again Deem
CT 20, reviewing the matters in Controversy at
reat length, and exposing many matters of gen. {
colts money dealings with the government;
sterrIng to one item, the secretary says:
The law did not allow You what you paid to
ourself. That payment TO yourself-What {
eanness does it display? What coaId have 2
cen less consistent with the generosity and +
agnanmlty which should have graced the first g
rank among band Of gallant soldiers You
Tarded to Yourself the whole percentage of the =
oney paid by the city Of Mexico when sub d
gated BY their victorious arms.
The general, under date of January 81, 1856, c
plies TO this inslnuation:
Such continued reckIessness Of character could y
lly proceed from one whose low ambition is g
altered with the title Of ''the favorte'' n
He is again lengthy, and referring to some n
d matters called up by secretary Davis, says: n
For revenge, the SANDER respecting the trial &
eighteen hundred and ten, was disinterred =
= your letter OF September, which, being re- -
ted in the same month, is now reproduced p
lth variations:
no shanes scribbler? Break one cobweb through,
e spins the slight, self pleasing thread anew;
=stroy his wep Of sophistry; in vain a
he creature is al his dirty work again. [
he following is the reply Of secretary Davis: b
WAR DEPARTMENT, Feb. 29, 1856.-Sir-I I
ceived your letter dated January 81, and pro-
ed 10 notice its contents. CT
You have persisted in making your letters Off fc
al, and have thus forced upon NE the obi Il
alton to receive them and reply, in such terms W
seem to me appropriate, to the baseless ac- u
'sauons which derive their only Importance il
ON the high standing you occupy. b
Another instance OF your capacity, in the same W
cath to beg for sympathy and utter Islander 7
your accusation that have endeavored - c.
evoke duel with an old soldier known to h. b,
lame in both arms as to write with difficulty, CT
I'd pain. u
Those ignorant of the fact that the great dis C
'lIIty OF which you complain was the reeu)t Of b
fall upon the pavement in New York. wonId til
turaly infer, from the phrase, ''old soldiers re
at you were BY wounds received in hattie die. W