Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-02-11
The Correspondence Retseen General
Scott and Secretary Davis.
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Scott and Secretary Davis.
The correspondence between General Scott and
and Secretary Davis is quite volumuous From
hssty examination of the various documents il ap
pears that Gen. Scott declined to give open and
specific information to Mr.. Davis regarding the ex-
pendIture of the secret service money in Mexico,
believing that no obligation Of public or private
honor according to the ussges of nations and ar
mics, required him to disclose names aud circum>
stances lie however expressed a Willingness to
give such information for his private ear Alone
which the Secretary said he was willing to receive
in confidence. In November. 1855, the President
of the United States writes to Secretary Davis say
ing in substance:-"Gen. Scott states two grounds
on which he had learned that hesitated to allow
the fze per cent. commission. 1t is proper to
mark taat he has been misinformed or misappre.
hended my position He hipself fixed 81 per
cent, which he might properly receive for his dis
bsrsements in Mexico; and balance struck upon
that basis, was the subject OF conversation between
us
Mr. Davis, in response to the President, informs
him that Gen. Scott had charged himself with the
sum OF 1921 ,68l, all of which, excepting $50 600,
we're levied and captured in Mexico aud took credit
for disbursing $685., 54l, leaving So loo withheld
by General Scott on his account. This balance the
President authorized Gen. Scott, through the Sec
rotary of War, to retain.
Gen. Scott, ia a letter dated New York, Decem,
Der, 1855, writes that there are two Items making
Sll S55, against him as not admitted or disalowed
by the President on account OF five per cent.
charged by him on all moneys disbursed lie says
it was entirely within the competency of the Presis
dent to allow that charge and be asks that suit be
brought against him by the government to recover
the amount claimed to be due by him, nearly $4,000.
But the President declined to enter Suit. There
are many explanations relative TO these figures, but
the financial parts of the transaction cannot be fair
ly understood by this meIe reference to the sui
ject.
Among the documents is the opinion of Attor-
ney General Cushing, dated January, 1856, to the
effect that the act creating the grade of Lieutenant
General does not confer upon General Scott all the
authority which was imposed by the law of 1898
upon Washington, who thereby made the COM
mander of the armies, while General Scott was ap-
pointed Lieutenant General by order of the Presi-
dent OF the United States II carries retrospective
pay and emoluments, but not retrospective author
ity.
Gen. SCOTS correspondence with the officers Of
the government goes back far 1913 and that
between him and the Secretary of War during 1855
contains the following features:
Mr.. Davis on July 18th, says-"I leave IN
noticed the exhibition of peevsh temper 10 reply
to an inquiry from the department ETC." Gen
Scott replies, July 3Oth-"It would be easy to
show that the whole letter in which you charge me
with exhibiting peevish temper is as hippaat in
its statements and logic as in that accusation"
Certainly as Secretary of War you have done
enough to warrant more than a suspicion that from
the first you have considered it your special mis-
sion, by repeated aggression on my rights and feel.
ings, to gOad into some perilous attitude of Of
fetal opposition"
General Scott replying, August 9th, says:-'I
have received note from you dated on the 10Th
inst, which you seem to desire me to consider as
unofficial | shall not comply with your sngu lar
fancy, as you have no legitimate claim to address
me except as Secretary of War. Accordingly |
shall treat your communication, whether designed
az private and scurrilous, or public mssives Of
arrogance and superciliousness, equally official
There are beauties in them which ought not to be
lost, aud it shall not be my fault if DO not render
your part of this correspondence memorable ex-
ample to be Stunned by your succ, s5ors
To this the Secretary replies Sept. 7th: "NOr an
to be all deferred from a fill exposure of the
groundessness of your charges or by the threats
you make of rendering my part of this correspols
dence a memorable example TO be Stunned by my
successors This is the meanest braVado in one
who himself affords the most memorable example on
the record OF this department, of vaus contover-
sialist defeated and false accuser exposed"
Gen. Scott writes:
10 prove MY louB IOIOchIduCc, lOF ~ my llue
of life all angry discussions are painful, will now
proceed to enumerate some of the provocations
alluded to, without dating in this place on your
partisan hostility to the brevet ofeutenan general
and to the compensation Congress intended to at
tach thereto' The General then audes to one of
the Secratarys "captiOus retorts" and his Gaping
the climax by usurpatiOn and absurdity" he like.
wise says: Following out your personal rebuke in
the letter Of the 18th, your object in violation Of
principle, is to crush me into servile obedience
to your seowil. know your obstinacy, and
know also what is dueIto myself as a man and
soldier and if am to be crushed, prefer it at the
hands Of my nil tary peers" ..
The Secretary rejOins in an unofficial note, dated
August I'd: "Your present accusation, charging
me with usurpaton for the most unworthy ends
and imputing to me motives inconsistent with
official integrity, is considered basely malevoleut
and pronounced utterly false. "-BaItimore Pat
TiOI