Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-09-24

peat once more, thai have, from my first meeting
with you, been anxious from high opinion of your
head and heart, yoar intelligence, honor zeal andA
vaior, to win your esteem and confidence any I
terms consistent Nth Justice and honor. -
The rca Ter will be astonished when he hears the
true history of the note from which this extract IS
made, which is this On the afternoon of the 18th
Of August, when the strong Centrerss was in
vested Gen. Pillow being the senior officer of the
troops designated for service against that post this
General as he almost proved before the Court of
Inquiry subsequen lY in an interview with General,
then Colonel Riley suggested, as it would appear,
somewhat in the way of a query, Scan you not
with your regiment get into the rear OF the enc
my and make assault there ~. Gen. Rley's re-
Collection was by no means clear TO what Gen.
Pillow said and it plain that nothing that could
be called plan of battle was suggested, much less
ordered Gen. Riley did, however, succeed in
reaching the of Contreras and there repulsod
handsomely charge of Mexican horse; but no as
saut was made upon Contreras.
That evening, as already stated, Gen. Smith pro-
posed a night movement by which body of men
TO be thrown in position for daylight assault
tile next morning. from the direction of some tim
Der beyond the position reached by Gen. Riley the
day before and this was the plan in which General
Pillow, declared to Mr.. Trist, had no confidence
The plan succeeded and Conreras fell easily into
the possession Of our forces, though occupied by
1900 choice troops with twenty pieces Of
artillery, under command of Gen. Valentia one of
! the most distinguished Of Mexico's Generals Here
were taken a number of Mexican ofisers of high
rank, both civil and military, and here, too, were
recovered the two six Founders so nobly defended,
though honorahly lost, at Buena Vista, in the pre-
ceding February.
Ia the otclnl report of this battle, Gen. Pillow,
though actually in bed at San Augustine, three or
four miles from the of action, when the battle
came Off and after the secret caution to Mr.. Trist
! to remember his disapproyal of the plan for the
| ali, IL thotf bo hottl
after his plan, defending the monstrous assertion
subsequently, by referring to neUeT get fortified
| sometdiag alledged to have been said to General
Riley. the day before, which to nothing, what
ever it was.
NOW, the reader will please mark what followed
After the American Army had entered the capital
aad General Scott had undertaken the difficult and
delicate task Of making general report Of the Ope-
| ratiOns of the army in the valley of Mexico, for
which purpose he obliged to read very carefully
the reports Of the various commanders who had re-
| spectively reported upon their operations, he
fell upon the report Of Gen Pillow upon the taking
Of Contreras. He could not fail to notice the alb
! surdly and grossly false claim therein set up of
having planned the method of assault by which that
place was taken-having certain knowledge that
the plan had been proposed by General Smith, under
| circumstances already stated. IL became necessary
for General Scott to assign the honor to Gen. Smith
| TO whom Il was due, and thinking or hoping that
General Pillows Of justice needed nothing but
hint to induce him to modify his report, he wrote
| a private note to him, calling his attention to an
| inadverteney by which, if unchanged, an injury
might be done to General Smith, and asking him to
| reconsider his report. 10 General SCOTS great
surprise, Gen Pillow refused to change his report
ana reiterated his pretension that the battle had
been fought in accordance with his plan. In this
tate Of things General Scott determined to make
mother effort and addressed another private note
General Pillow, and reasoned the point with him.
urging him TO so modify his report as not to inter
fere with The Just aims of Gen. Smith, and here il
was that General Scott in spirit of kindness and
Cancellation, condescended to appeal to General
| Pillows better feelings, if be had any, and pro
fessed his wish maintain friendly relations
with him on any terms consistent nth justice anC
I0Ror-as if ne had said: You are basely attempting
| 10 deprive Gen Smith of honors Justly belonging t.
him, and it is my duty to justice done TO all
he officers Of the army; to yourself honor you
good qualities, and desire to maintain friendly rela
lions with you, but marx, only terms oOnsisten
with justice and honor. Who does not see that thi
IS the true spirit of the earnest desire so frauduenJ
Graded, OF Gen Scott, to secure the friendship o
; his second in command
To any eye but one bleared by vanity or blinded
by moral Obliquity, the note from Gen. Scott wa
one Of the most insulting that could have beer
penned. 1t expressed a condition for the mainten
,uee Of friendly relations which, a consciously
right-m n led man, would have gone to his hear
I q
plain imPutation that Gen. Pillow might be dis
honest man; that he might be capable Of rob5iRg
brother soldier Of his justly acquired H0aOrS.
The end sufficiently illustrates the characters o
the two men Gen. Pillow persisted in his preten
5ions; and General Scott as he could not maintain
friendly relations with him consistently with jus
tce and honor" dropped those relations; aud now
whole years having interviewed, Gen. Pillow wout
nave his readers believe that Gen. Scott sought mos
lnxiously his friendship
Bat l must desist from further comments upol
this dscrediable address, filed as it is with art
fully stated halttruths, which often species 0
most detestable fasehoeds, and leave others tn,
task, if any thinks it worth while to show how
prepOsterous 1t is in General Pillow to crticse tn
operations OF the army under General Scott, making
| his comments upon circumstances only brought Il
light after the accomplishment of the events REFERRED
to. Who does not know what sort of a capacity j
requires plan operations after the fact and shoV
how much better things might have been done
! Thus Gen Pillow finds fault with the armistic
granted by Gen. Scott to the Mexicans while thei
government was yet intact within the city, and haC
the highest motives for making peace to proven
having the streets of the capital dishonored by thu
tread Of a foreign army. Gen. Scott knew that thu
city virtually in his possession the evening 0
The battle Of CheTubuscO, and heard him tell III,
| Mexican Commissioners so at the moment they pre-
,ented the application Of Santa Anna for an arms
| tce. Gen Scott knew that he could enter the city
|
the government, and that it might require who'll
months afterwards to find government in condition
to make peace, proved to be the case wheg
finally, he did enter the city. There was a reason
able hope Of avoiding that delay by acceding tn,
proposed armistce. That it was not avoided Gen
Pillow has had the wit to see after The fact and
comments Uponit.
Il is proper for me to say that some two year.
| since ! resigned my commission in the army il
which l had served nearly forty years, and have
sought a sef-imposod retirement pursue a course
Of study altogether private and personal, with nc
desire or intention of mingling in any political or
other controversies; but meeting with the base at
Tempt, as l consider it, Of Gen. Pillow, to throw
disCIeiit upon he one soldier of our country whom
the country delights to honor, whose Conquest Of
Mexico viii be read in after days with that of Cor
tez, I could not help placing on record some few
facts known to myself for the benefit of history
As Tor the immediate object of Gen. Pillows address
that Of securing seat in the Senate of the United
States | have nothing to say, but to express the
hope that Tennessee has Worthier sons, more emit
lied TO that honor.
E. A. HITCHCOCK,
Acting Inspector General of the American Army il
Mexico and late Brevet Brigadier General
ST LOUIS, Missouri, September IA, 1857.
PRACTICAL AMALGAMATION
Some time since, the New York Tribune stated
that its editor had lived in four different free
States in none Of which, so far as he was aware was