The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-09-22

| army--made necessary by the armis.ice,
and bytgiving up all the advantages gained
by the first two bloody battles-we lost in
killed and wounded 1,672 men; so that the
army had to atone for the error of its Gen
eral-in- Chief. acting under the influence OF
the Government commissioner, with the
blood of many of its brayest men.
Up to this time, Gen. Scott had never
been otherwise than just and kind to me.
Mr. Trist's object was revenge upon the
man who had caused his recall, and to dis
grace and discredit 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 purpose, he must control Gen. SCOTS
moral power and influence in the army.
Gen. Scott never suspected his real pur-
pose. The armistice had greatly affected
the confidence and feelings of the army to-
wards Gen. Scott, while my opposition to
it, icing known throughout the army, had
| tended to induce an over estimate of my
/ services.
| This was seen by Gen. Scott in the many
letters written from the army to the home
press; and his sensitiveness on this point
may be seen in issuance of his offensive gen
eral order, intended to disgrace Gen. Worth
and myself, upon the bare suspicion that we
had written such letters. 1t was this order
that led to the arrest of General Worth and
Colonel Duncan; and, though he arrested
me under a different pretext, his main
charge was that I, also, had written similar
| letters.
Under these circumstances, Mr. Trist
found it an easy matter to induce General
Scott to believe | was endeavoring to sup
plant him in the confidence and affections
of the army, and to strip him of the honor
to which he was entitled as its commander.
| That he did so believe il manifest, from his
| charges against me.
| Hence the blindness with which he rush
ed into the extremes of injustice and wrong
towards me; which proved SO fatal to his
| own reputation for justice towards his sub
ordinates in command, and which had we'll
nigh ruined the humble individual who now
addresses you.
1t will be seen from this narrative OF
events that all my trials and prosecutions
all the falsehoods and calumnies heaped
upon me in consequence of my rupture with
Gen. Social the blackening and defama-
! a. H. ha
of the humble honor of my services, and to
disgrace me as a man of honor-all the
poison infused into the mind of the nation
by the party press-that all this obloquy
was heaped upon me because I earnestly
protested against the corrupt Puebla nego-
tiations, and the armistice. Ga part of it,
which cost the army the lives of SO many
brave men, and because / made known to
the President, as | was in honor bound to
do, the existence of these disgraceful pro-
ceedings.
| Hence, it will be seen that, instead of
| having oa~e~I tho ~~r+~-u bet"~v.. Si-e
President and Gen. Scott and Mr. Trist, from
an oficious and intermeddling disposition,
as / was charged to have done, / was en-
gagged in a sacred duty to my country in all
that did. And though l was so greatly
wronged by the press, and by public opin-
ion, such were my confidential relations to
the Government and this mission, 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,
I was compelled to confne myself to the
charges themselves, trusting to the future
for the vindication of my motives, and the
fidelity with which met the responsibilities
of my position, as the confidential officer Of
the Government.
The best friends had in the army did all
they could to induce me to acquiesce in
Gen. SCOTS refusal to prosecute the char
ges against me. But conscious of my inno-
cence, and having been actuated by high
sense of duty to my country, | demanded
an investigation of the charges, and an Or
der from the court compelling him to pro-
secute them, or publicly to admit that they
were false.
I chose to brave all the consequences
rather than submit to be thus illuminated,
or violate the confidence reposed in me by
my Government.
In all this claim to have done but my
duty; but the time has now arrived when /
think the relations bore to the Government
and to this mission should be made known,
my motives appreciated.
| Respectfully,
GID. j. PILLOW.
a CHANCE FOR ABOLITIONISTS