Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-09-04

had cost US the blood OF lVoU men, without any
thing in return, and without any guarantee of the
| enemy's good faith
Entertaining these views Of the oBjses and effect of
| the armistice, and the purposes of Mr. Trist and
finding that l could do nothing to prevent the con-
summation Of measures 50 disreputable TO the Gov
| ernment, at once wrote to President Polk, giving
him fun account Of the negotiations and the seps
adopted towards its fulfllment Upon the reception
of this information, the President promptly recalled
Mr. Trist, withdrew from him all authority to act as
| commissioner, and directed Gen Scott 10 send him
back to the United States.
The recall, however, was not received until Gen.
| Scott had resumed offensive operations and the
/ Army had entered the city of Mexico
The armistiee lasted fifteen days. during which time
! Santa Anna had completed bis defences had remoy-
ed his heavy artillery from e. pnion and Mexicai
/ zngo, and had recognized and recruited his army
and had 10000 fighting men in the feld,-end then
reannounced that the armistiee was at an end And
in the after operations Of the army-made
by the armis'ce, and by giving up all the advantages
gained by the first two bloody battles we lost In
killed and wounded 1872 men, so that the army
had to atone for the error Of its Generaln- Chief
acting under the influence OF the Government Com
missioner-Tith the blood Of many of its BRAY
est men.
| Upto this time, Gen. Scott had never been other.
wise than just and kind TO me-
At Vera Cruz he had selected me to lead the storm
ing column Of volunteer forces in the contemplated
/ @SSauib ApOu luat he afterwards appointed
me Commissioner over the heads of my then SEN
iors in rank, TO tx upon the terms of as captulaton
He had selected me TO attack in front-the strongly
| fortified field Of Cerro Gordo-while with the main
force Of the army he turned the enemy left.
Finding his army so much crippled by the oper-
atoms at Vera Cruz and the battle of Cerro Gordo
that be could not advance upon the City OF Mexico
he sent me to the United States (under sick leave
of absenee), but in fact TO procure from the Presi
dent, an order to reinforce his Command by the new
troops previously ordered to Gen. Taylors line of
operations; which duty being performed returned
and overlook the army, and assumed the command
of my Division at Puebla.s
He placed ne in command of the advance of the
army in the movements that led to the battles of
Contreras and Churubusco In the midst of this
lsst, long continued and bloody battle, he sent his
lifeguard, commanded by Captain Kearnevl 10 me
for duty, thus leaving himself at Coyoacan without
even q life-guard. Immediately on the termination
| Of the armistice he threw me forward TO Piedad
almost under the walls OF the City, to drive in the
enemy, and to protect his army from surprise and
stragcal movement, with orders never for one mo-
ment to be absent from my post, while he was con-
centrating his forces and settling his plans for fin
ture operations. de moved from this place In
the darkness of the night, to dash upon and seize
the Casa Mats, and the Molinos del Rey preparatory
TO storming Chapuhepec, and having chosen me to
stormth strong and almost impregnable fortifca-
ton, which commanded all the approaches to the
city, and when it had become evident that it was
CietOTy or death to the l00ls dry he directed me TO
assail the work as pleased, but that must carry
it, no matter at YhG eos-that the fate of the army
depended upon my success.
Being disabled in this duty, Gen. Scott said in
his official Reports, " That this gallant leader was
cut down, while up with the front rank BY an aQon
izing wound" In his official correspondence he
said, "From what he personally saw he IN received
agonizng wound in the able and heroic discharge
of duty in storming Chapultepec Again he said
IN hac tYcfin n,
yesterday very reluctantly troubled you with note
OF that date, but was obliged to do So before finish
ing my report of the recent glorious operations in
which you had full and most distinguished parti-
cipatlon "Again he said in haste, permit
me to repeat once more, that have, from nv first
meeting with you, been anxious from high opin-
ion Of your head and heart your intelligence honor
zeal and Talor, to win your esteem and confidence
on any terms, consistent with justice and honor"
refer to these high official testimonials of Gen.
Scott not in vaingorious spirit, but to show how
strong an influence must have been brought TO bear
upon his mind, TO have induced him 1before the
ink with which his official reports were written
was dry TO have treated with such harshness and
injustice, an officer, Of whose conduct he had lust
spoken IN his reports, in terms of unqualified ap-
probation, and whose confidence and esteem he
was anxious to win upon any terms consistent with
honor and justice" That influence was the mis-
representations of Mr.. Trist-who awaiting himself
of Cen Seotts known Jealousy of UUmmund, and of
my opposition to the armistice-cOupled with the
letters written from the army condemnatory of the
srmistice and Mandatory of myself infamed Gen.
Scots feelings, and so madened his sense of Justice
to blind him in all his after conduct.
Mr.. Trlsts object was revenge upon The man who
had caused his recall, and to disgrace and discred
the only man who had a knowledge of his corrupt
negotiations. He knew had written TO President
Polk, flor had shown him the letter. But Gen.
Scott did not. He knew that TO accomplish his pur-
pose he must control Gen. Scott's moral power and
influence in the army.
Gen. Scott never suspected his real purpose The
armistice had greatly affected the confidence and
feelings of the army towards Gen. Scott, while my
opposition to II, being known throughout the army
had tended to induce an overestimate of my SER
vices.
This was seen by Gen. Scott in the many letters
written from the army to the home press-and his
sensbay on this point, may be in the issuance
of his offensive general ORDER intended to disgrace
Gen. Worth and myself, upon the bare suspicion
that had written such letters. 1t was this order
that led to the arrest of Gen. Worth and Col Dun
can and though he arrested me under different
pretext, his main charge was, that ALSO had writ
ten similar letters.
Under these circumstances, Mr.. Trist found il an
easy matter to induce Gen. Scott to believe / was
endeavoring to supplant him in the confidence and
affections of the army, and to strip him of the hon
or to which he was entitled, as its commander
That he did so believe, is manifest from his charges
against me.
Hence the blindness with which he rushed into
the extremes Of injustice and wrong towards me-
which proved fatal to his own reputation for JUS
tee towards his subordinates in command and which
had well nigh ruined the humble individual who now
addresses you.
Il will be from this narrative of events that
all my trials and persecutions-al the falsehoods
and calumnies heaped upon me in consequence of
my rupture with Gen. Social the backening and
defamatory charges by which he sought to strip me
Of hmm honor of NV nd
me as man of honor--all the poison infused into
the mind of the Nation by the party press-that all
this oboquy was heaped upon me, because L earn |
estly protested against the corrupt Puebls negoti-
ATOMS and the armistce-a part of (which cost |
the army the lives of so many brave men, and be- |
cause made known to the President, as l was in /
honor bound to do, the existence of these disgrace
full proceedings.
Hence it will be seen that, instead of having /
caused the rupture between the President and Gen.
Scott and Mr.. Trist from ogfciOus and informed
ding deposition was charged to have done, was
engaged in a sacred duty to my country in all that
did. And though l greatly wrouged by |
the press and by public opinion, such my con-
fdenhdI relditRs to the Government and 10 this
son that could neither expose the motives of those
who sought TO destroy me, nor the sense of duty,
which controlled my conduct.
In my defence of the charges against me, was
compelled to confne myself to the charges them
selves trusting the future for the vindicaOn of
my motives, and the fidelity with which / met the
of my position the confidential Of
fcer of the Govraraeat.
The best friends had in the army did all they