The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-02-06


spicy CevFespenAeuce.
We published yesterday ateIssrapbic sbstracs
Of . passionate snd inmlting correspondence which
has passed between the SECRETARY or WAR and
CENTRAL WINFIELD ScoTT. II has been laid
before Congress and kept quite secret. The
Washington correspondent Of the New York Her
AID "by hook or by crook" got peep at II, and
has furnished what he calls the cream OF H.
(ra,her curdled cream It is for thatpaper II was
from this publication in the Herald that the WASH
teegrapbic correspondent of the papers here
obtained the abstract already published oy U.s.
We give below what we fiud in the Heraid;
wAsuiseroN. Feb. 8. 1857.
u.vn, h..u permit ed to skim the long looked for
correspondence between Lieut. Genera. Sou 20. -
| Hon JEFF Davis, Secretary Of War. seod you the
cream for the benefit of HersIaa fe "a ~ c
Tho correspondent &c, aSeommunicstea 70 Conere1,
ooens with letter from General Scott, dated July
30, 1855, in which he ssys:
C.rtsinly a. Secretary Of War you hsvs enough to
warrant more than su'pciod ,nes from sne nrs you
on INV rights aud feelings to goad into
| some perilous attitude of eaicial Opposition.
Then fIlows lengthy enditemept sgainst this Ses.
re,ary containing eight distinct counts setting fort
official acts of that officer such issuing orders &c
to frontier posts done without his General Scotts)
| appreciation.
AZ the r, quest of General scott this docums
referred to the President. and referred without com.
ment
In reply. Secretary Davis sent the following unof-
cai nste, dated
WAsHfEofoH, Aug. g 1855.
SIR; Your letter ofth. seth July wa, received yes
t~rday, and, ss YOU requested. was Ieferr 10 the
President. when returned 10 me It will be answer
ed You have taken tie sion OF ttficial cor
dependence to make unfounded imputations upon my
motives and to u.s. such language as my idea of the
requirements of official courtesy does not permit
to notice in my ocslcharacter and therefore adopt
ff,afat fha To
ity my opposition to comforting you the title of
ant General but that opp sition actively
and publicly made when was a member Of the Uni
| ted Stat 9 Senate and Chairman Of the c. mmittee
OF Milit'ry Affairs. You were then known to the
country q distinguished soldier but had not been
forced upon public attention as partizan politician
such bee judged by II people approved by
me. You certainly had better opportunity to know
of my oppositien then than when it merely that
of well settled and long entertained opinion held
by me in position which separated me from par
ticipatien in the active business of Congress Ny
views are publicly given a Senator to sufficient
extent to 'how on what my JUDGMENT rested, and
your present accusation While charges with usur.
patton for the most unworthy ends, and inputes to
motives inconsistent with official integrity, is
considered bassy malevolent and pronounced utterly
false Your obedient servant
JEFF DAVIS
This note, Though uoficiaI, is rep led to by Gen
see't officially who insists upon spreading it upon
the files OF the Department. This reply Is dated
August h. and Secretary Davis rejoins again Sep
TENDER 7th at great lenstb, aud reviews the spscif
The General next grants leave of absence TO Col
Hitchcock, under circumstances not approved BY
the Department. aud Is ordered to counternsnd r
revoke the leave OF absence. This he refused t. do
Rssging his reasons therefor. This reason was re-.
ferred TO the President who endorsed the reas n
assigned as unsatisfactory. The Secretary of War
to secure promptude in the execution of orders rela
tive to the movements of the army:
Secretary Davis recommends that the he adquarters
the army be removed from New York to the &c at
Of government
Next comes tbs following rich specimen of official
correspondence:
/ HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY
NEW York, Sept. 70, 1856. !
SIR-With all the records of the army and every
conn ulsory assistance at hard you have by toll OF
more than g weeks, what, to your natu re- must
have been labor of love poured only upon me in
~ compact foojscap pages, this full measure of your
spleen apd vengeance. Ita precurfor savage and
seuTrious, but the SLOWLY concoc ed venom now ven
ted is no doubt fondly relied upon kill at once The
felonious intent Is clear enough. Nevertheless Won
may be forced to borrow the exclamation "'tis NOT
done, and The attempt, and not the deed confoun6s
Us "
Then follows a lengthy TRADE OF abusive epithsts
and defence of his cause generally
The Secretary of War rep les again, Decembsr %
reviewing the matters In controversy at great length
and exposing many matters of Gene al SCOTS money
dealings wit the government; referring to on. item
the Secretary says:
The Jaw did not allew you what you paid to your
self The payment to elf-what mean ne % does
it display What could have been less cons teet
with the generosity and msg ianinity which should
have grsced the frs. in rank among band of gallant
| soldiers. You awarded 10 yourself tbs whole psr
centage Of the money paid by The city of MEXICO
when iabjugated by their victort arms
To this delicate sllusion 10 the old hero's fnan.
ceering qualities ne comes back to him in game
| style and says. under date OF January 81, /, sc
Such continued recklessDess Of character could
only proceed from one whose low ambition in fat.
tered with the title of The Favorite y
He 10 again lengthy, and refe,I ring to some upplea
SAINT "reminiscences called up by Secretary Davis,
ing the trial of 1910 dsnterred by Your letter Of
september, which being re futed in the same month
lsnow reproduced with variations
Who shames scribler' Break one cobwsb
He spins the sight self pleasing thread anew;
Destroy his Fl or sophiitry vain,
The creatures at his dill, work again
This caustic epitte, thus beeutided with poetical
extracts was responded to by the Secretary in let.
ter beginning thus:
War DEPARTMENT. Feb. %, 1856.
SIR received your letter dated Jan 81 ana prc-
coed to notice its contents
You have persisted in making your letters official,
and rave thus forced upon me The obligation to
ceIve them and reply, in such tern a. seem to me
appropriate, to the baseess accusations which d..
rive their only impo. tsnce rom the high standing
you occupy.
breath to beg for sympathy and utter SANDER ia
accus ton that have endsavored to provoke duel
with en- old soldier, known to be 30 lame in both
arms .s to write with difficulty and pain
These ignorant of the fact tina. the great dis.bili
ty OF which you complain was the result of fall
upon the pavement in New York, would naturally
infer from the Etroductio of the phrase sold sot
der" that you were by wounds received In b.ttle
disqualified for self-defence, and every generous
heart that believed your assertion would visit with
ind goant censure the unmanly attempt 10 involve
wounded veteran in personal combat. But no such
purpose was entertained You h Id given notice to
the world that you would not act upon the senti.
rnent which mskesthe gentleman responsible to any
one whom he assais whom in the vigor of mani nod
You pleaded sense OF gion and patriotic scrupIes
as reasons for not answeringt personal deiance
of aggtieved officer, Gen Jsc son-your su oeror
in military rank and infinitely above you in every
other respect and it not to be that YOU
ud, at this time take different ground But no d,a
biliy age plea of consc entous scrupes can be
gratuitously imputed me motiy en- in furious and
70 me as q gentleman, l addressed to ven
al official note, and fix, on you the brand of false
hood, which you vainly endeavor {, ash away with
your unfsiling food of abusive epithsts
Your obedient servant
To Brevet Lieutenant General WINFIELD Sc TT.
U. 8. A.
To this spicy nunicstion and these gentle hints
at bis cowardice, the hero of Lunty's Lane thus
PITCHES into his adversary under date of March 81,
aud says: Again you recur t, my past history and
my court martial Of 1910. Now your thrice told
tale again and again refuted aud put to sh .me but
which, With Casbin malice, that needs must curse,
you are likely to reproduce TO the eDd Of the chap
ter, If only to give the advantage you say, ct
referring to par ocular passage Of my history-this
to such spirit, if nJt victory isiyet revenge"
To this the Secretary of War returns a lengthy re-
ply aud Gen. Scott again retorts my sile nee. an
der the provsestion. has been the result ct Of
Is no~~sn d al.