The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-12-21
LIEUTENANT GENERAL SCOTT

A Washington correspondent Of the y.
Y. Times says:
Now that Scott is dead to the army,
much more will be said OF him by the
press than there has been for the last
three months. That he was great Gen
eral is universally conceded. lie had
great power Of generalization, and the
field Of his military operations seemed to
lay like a map in his mind, so that he was
able to bring everything to bear on civ.
en- pOiht-tend to one grand result. do
not wish, however, to speak Of his rare
qualities as q military chieftain, but to
raise the inquiry: "What was it that, at
the outset Of his career, gave him such
power over his troops that he suddenly,
as il by magic, converted them from APP
parently inefficient soldiers into steady
veterans?" The true answer to this
would be of infinite service to our officers
who have their regulations to make.
Scott never received military educa.
ton, and hence did not win the confidence
Of his troops nor his victories through the
advantages it is supposed to give. At the
commencement OF the war Of 1912, we
had 10000 troops on the New York from
tier, under the command of Smythc, and
Wilkinson, and Dearborn, and others,
who had seen much service in the Revo.
luton, while the British had but 1000,
yet We were beaten ut every point and
driven back in disgrace, until Scott, a
mere STRIPPING, took command. Then
khn upl,n cnn.t,n,l to h.. Il Ill
by continual defeat, suddenly became
veterans. This was not owing to any ex-
traordinary drill that this uncducated Of
ficcr was able to give IN I'M in few weeks
1t was either through a keen appreciation
Of the American character, or rathcr,pcr
haps, true sympathy with it, which en-
ablcd him to call out the real strength Of
the American soldier. Thoug h the Amer.
lean should be drilled to the perfection of
Austrian or Russian troops. till he moves
with the steadiness and certainty of well.
adjusted machinery, his true strength has
not been brought out. We need thor.
Ough drill, but we need something else
just as much. The Nendean armies
would have been called rude, half.armcd
rabble by any military man; vet they
broke in pieces the best troops. of France.
SCOTS power consisted ia bringing into
action the frceInan'S individual pride and
reckless daring. At Niagara, to troops
that had been beaten again and again, he
had only to say as he dashed up to the
line: "Men they say you are good atlOng
shot, but can'tStand the cold steel. Give
the lie to the base slander-chdrge" and
they went like rolling rock through the
ranks Of the astonished enemy. So at
Lundy's Lane, they exhibited that extra.
ordinary spectacle witnessed but once or
twice in the history of the world-men
crossing bayonets with the foe. Scornful
regulars might make a note of that to
their advantage. Scott never forgot what
power right words uttered at the right
time have on American soldiers. ter
70 GOrdo, when the last height was to be
carried, the troops formed under his eye,
and led by West Point officers, charged
under plunging FIRE up the rugged slope,
lying al an angle Of nearly forty-five de.
grees. Scott, in the meantime, with his
staff, took the circuitous route that led to
the top. When he reached it, the Mexi
cans were flying in every direction; and
as he galloped up to the entertainments
and looked on his brave fellows begrim.
med with powder and smoke, his eve
moistened and his lip quivercd and shak-
ing his clenched fist at them, be exclaimed
-"Oh, you young rascals, yOu!" With
that single speech ringing in their ears.
those troops charging under his eye would
evermOre be invincible.
Napoleon understood that moral power
was hall, even when everything depended
on hard blows. The ruling sentiment of
the French was glory, and he appealed to
it on al! occasions, and with success
Look at his address to his soldiers after
the battle Of the Pyramids-indecd, al.
most all his orders. What did he care il
military and civil critics called them froth
and foam and wordy defamation; he
spoke to his troops-not to them. 1t was
this high moral sentiment which he kim
died to such an intense glow that gave
them as much power as the severe discip-
line to which they were subjected. Mere
discipline would have made them no better
than Austrian or Russian troops.
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