The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-07-20
One by one the gallant men who, during the last

One by one the gallant men who during the last
Mexican war, led our armies to confident victory
are slowly passing away. To the memorable
names of TAYLOR, WORTH, SMITH, BUTLER and
HENDERSON, we are now called upon to add that of
General JOHN A. QUITMAN, whose demise at
t'Monmouth,' his residence near Natchez,
briefly referred TO yesterday. A soldier of greater
personal bravery, statesman of more incorrigbc
honesty, the Republic could not boast. Quiet and
unassuming in his demeanor, yet of an ardent
temperament and strong political predictions, he
so qualified by his courtesy towards his oppo-
nents the frank avowal of his own sentiments, as
to win the unfcigned respect of those whose opin-
ions differed most widely from his own. A native
of Dutchcss county, New York, where his father
lived long life of usefulness rs n pastor of the
Dutch Reformed Church. JOHN. A. QUITMAN
emigrated in carly manhood to Mississippi,
where he subsequently resided until The period of
his death, and where for many years he occupied
prominent position a lawyer and wealthy
planter, and leading man among the
ulrasts of the South. When the Mexican
broke out, he took command of body
of volunteers, and so highly distinguished
himself at the storming of Monterey rs to
elicit from Major General BUTLER in his official
report of the operations of his particular division of
troops, the highest praise that could be awarded
by one soldier to another. General QUITMAN,"
said his commanding officer, chad before him
IA field in which military genius and skill
'could be called into requision, and honors could
''be fairly won, and but echo the general voice
Gin saying that he nobly awaited himself of the
'toccason." During the armistce that followed
the capture of that city, and the withdrawal of
portion of the troops under General TAYLOR to
strengthen SCoTr's column, General QUITMAN
returned to the States, and joining his division to
the forces then organizing for an attack upon Vera
Cruz, was present on active duty at the siege Of
that city He did not participate in the battle
of Cerro Gordo, but accompanied the army on its
march towards the capital. On the l4th of April,
lS47, he was appointed by President Polk Ma
jor-General in the army of the UNITED STATES, and
received his commission at Puebla, where SCoTT
had halted his victorious column to await the ar
rival of reinforcements. General QUITMAN at
once solicited a command; but on learning that
there were already too many general officers in
service for the number of troops capable of per-
forming duty, he nobly declared his readiness to
serve in the ranks, or in any other capacity in
which the commanding General might think proper
to employ him. But the arrival of additional
troops, under PIERCE and CADwALLADER, rendered
it unnecessary for him to assume a subordinate
position A motley Division organized for
him, which he subsequently described 'made
cup of soldiers from every State in the Union
''broken and wasted Acknowledgements
''odds and ends of commands" but he was well
,tnJ
officers, Brigadicr-Generals SMITH and SHIELDS.
In the battles of Contreras and Churubusco, Gen
eral QUTTMAN was not actively engaged; but to
his division and to that of Pillow were subse-
quently assigned the duty of storming Chapulte-
pec-PILow on the West, and QUITMAN on the
SOUTHEAST The obstacles that the latter had to
face were of the most formidable nature; his APP
proach was over q causeway with cuts and bate
ries defended by an army strongly posted outside
of the works. To these were added deep bitches,
flanlling the causcways and intersecting the low
meadows on either side. When these difficulties
were overcome, there yet remained broken ac-
civity to be surmounted, covered with huge boul-
ders OF rock, cut up by deep chasms, filled with
Mines and desperately defended by an enemy con-
stantly reinforced from the city. All these OBJ
Saoieo "oie Sio"iJ put steadily overcome, ana lne
two divisions met upon the summit of the emf
nence, simultaneously scaled the walls of the
fortress, and utterly routed its defenders Rut the
browning exploit YVES yet to come. Scorr de-
termined to follow up the capture of ChannItenec
by an immediate attack upon the CITY. He
strengthened WoRTHs division, and instructed
that officer to proceed by the San Cosme road
over causeway sustaining central aqueduct
constructed of strong masonry and of great height
and resting on open arches and massive pillars. A
broad road traversed each side of the aqueduct
throughout its whole length to the San Cosme
gate and the whole was defended by many strong
breastworks at the gates and before reaching
them. To the right of this from Chapultepec was
similar causeway, but more strongly defended,
leading from the Piedad road to the Belen gate
This approach QUITMAN was ordered to menace
with his division for the purpose of dverting the
attention OF the enemy from the main attack to be
made by WORTH by way of the ESan Cosme aque-
duct, but carried away by his own ardor. and
ably supported by SHIELDS and SMITH. OUIrMAN.
marching foot at the head of his men. resoutelv
advanced from arch to arch of the aouednct
under a tremendous fire of artillery and small
arms from the batteries In front, and on his flank.
and from large body of the enemy on the Piedad