The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-10-12
80. 49,.

N
.syhief OF thu Eastern Division Of
the Distinguished soldier who sncceeds Gen. ]
ScoTr IN the defence of thu Atlantic. may not
Be without interest
On the commencement Of the war with
Great Britain IN isi2, Gen. Wool was APP
pointed = CAptainia the 18th Regiment United
States InfAnsry. In the stor,ning OF the
heights Of Queenstown. and also al the oat-
ties Of Plattsbnrg and Beekmantewn, he CO.
vefed hf1nself with glory. His personal vaior
was resriendent in war which brought ms
in collision with the choicest troops OF Eng
land. veterans who never before or since met
their match with the bayonet In 1916, he was
appointed Inspector General OF the Army,
and in this capacity exhibited great military
and business talents, together with statesman
like views of the necessities of the country
In 1892, in obedience TO the orders OF his gov
eminent, he repaired to Europe to collect in
formation upon military subjects and i'm
proyemen,s, and in the discharge of this duty,
visi ed the military establishments OF France
and Belgium, and with the King reviewed
,c0,e00 troops, and inspected the famous forti-
acations of Antwerp The skil1fui manner in
which he performed the delicate duty of re-
moving he Cherokee Indians to Arkansas in
1896 an i the military reconnoisances in Mexico
for the defence of the frontier in 1888. added to
his reputation for admirable tact and judy
ynent as well as military science.
His services in the war with Mexico Will
not soon be forgotten Ills military prepara-
ions I'm 1913 to succor the army of Gen. TAY-
loR were marked by a degree of energy and
skill never surpassed. In less than six weeks
he converted twelve thousand citizens into an
efficient army. Afterward, he created in Texas
and Mexico, in seven months, two armies
one for himself and one for Gen. TAYLOR;
travelled two thousand miles, organized three
thousand men into an invading force. march
cd nine hundred miles, and encamped as the
advanced guard OF the American force, twenty
one miles in advance of Saltillo. He reach
ed the field Of Buena Vista as Gen. TAYLoR's
small force of Ave thousand men were to meet
SANTA Annals twenty thousand, and in that
memorable battle he was eninently conspicu-
ous and was everywhere in the hottest OF the
Sight the right arm of Old Rough and Ready
When the two chieftains-one OF Virginia, the
other of New Yorls--embraced, after the vic
tory was won, they presentea spectacle,
which we hope their countrymen Will ever
bear in mind, Of gallant and generous souls,
whose only rivalry was their common nag
they met, as we hope North and South will
ever meet, with no other arms than those of
patriotic love and chiyalrous friendship
But great as ar General WOODS military
| talents, he has shown degree of statesmanlike
| sagacity and sound Judgment which would
| have done honor to the most eminent civilians.
| We have been particularly struck with the
| remarkable foresight and soundness of his
| views upon the Italian war Scarcely sim
| gle journal or periodical or statesman of Eu-
| rope or America, concurred with the views OF
| Gen WOODS remarkable letter of the 18th of
| May One of the most eminent politicians of
the country, referring to this letter, says that
| it now reads like prophecy. at could not"
| says he, shave been more literally transcript
| Of the results of the war for the civilization
and independence of Italy, if it had been writ
| ten after than before their occurrence" When
| the war in Italy commenced, scarcely a single
organ of publ opinion distrusted the profess
| sions and promises with which the Emperor
Of the French began the war. In our own
| country there was one universal tide of SYM
| sathy with the Deliyerer of Italy The pub
lished letter of Gen. Wool set forth at length
and with remarkable clearness and force, the
real intentions of the French Emperor, and
| the only res ItS which WOuld HOW from the
| war At the time, no one concurred with
| Gen. Wool now his letter reads like histo-
| ry even in the minutest details This wonder
| full letter deserves to be preserved in a more
| permanent form than the columns of news
paper. and the future biographer of General
| Wool should give it place as conspicuous as
the record of his most illustrious military
achievement
| 1t is Just subject of national pride that
| such man as JOHN E. Wool stands next in
rank to WINFIELD SooTT, and is SO able to
| wear with dignity and power the mantle of
that glorious chief. If aught can add to the
eminent services and talents of Gen. Wool,
| it is the rare modesty and unpretendipgness
Of his character, and the exceedingly ardent
| and generous sensbilities of his nature. Pro-
baby, al the late large military encampment
| in Massachusetts, at which he was an honored
| guest, the plainest and most unos tentatious
soldier in the crowd was this war-worn yete-
ran Indeed, though a pillar of fire in war.
there is no civilian who more fully appreciates
the value of peace "War,'' says he, in the pro-
phetic letter concerning Italy, to which we
have before referred, seldom promotes the
prosperity or civilization of nations. Com
| pare the advancement of the people in Europe
in prosperity and civilization, in the last
forty four years of peace, with that OF the two
centuries preceding 1t will be discovered
that the advantages and benefits of peace over
war are beyond calculations