Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-05-28


following to the New York Mercury; q
There are some important facts in the his
tory. Of this very conspicuous and very des-
picsble person, which have not yet been
made known 10 the American public at
large, and which seem 10 me 70 be worth
communicating to the world through the
newspaper press. They are interesting aud
instructive, especially at the present time, az
illustrating and demonstrating his chArae-
ter; and, consequently, to some extent, the
characterized those who, well knowing him,
selected him as the Nena Sahib Of he South
eIp'Sepoy mntlnt ht ,'.al ,.
the details Of his threatened duel with Col
onel Edward Bisseli, of Illinois, (since de.
eessed in the G9Eeruorship of that State),
though general reference 60 IL is proper, 20
show the undisputed fact that-having ap,
peaTed in public to provoke and seek NOR
tai combat-in private correspondents he
was availiDg himself Of every psltry quibble
TO evHde the impending consequences Of his
rash repetition of the very stale trick Of
Southerner bullying a. Northerner in Con-
gress, on the presumption that the man Of
The North would not FIGHT duel, knowing
that duellist is more Infamous here than q
coward is in the Sohth. --..-
have never been ableto suppress my
contempt in reading a correspondents tend
ing, or relative to, proposed or possible
duel. The case is Invariably 80 befogged
with techniealities and pettifogged with
rascalitiss, which would make an attorney
in the Marine Court or Tombs blush on sug-
gestion that no honest man of average cour.
age can feel particle of respect for either
party, principals or seconds, after the perusai.
have been friendly and intimate with
many men who have done these silly things,
but have never been able to esteem or
honor one of them, after such a perform
ance. tl Il y'-i1s .r, 5-J =.
Ionly refer TO Davis's affair With BisselI
to remind the public that he "backed down"
and backed out of q fight which he himself
6ist proposed; and that herequested Colonel
Bissell 10 lei him do so, on a pretext sug-
gested and furnished by himself +.
1t has been repeatedly announced that
Jefferson Davis will command the Southern
sepoys in person. IN the eampaign now com
mencing. hope he will lead the way on
their first battle-held for lmeat 10 be there
myself Butt .veryg much doubt whether
Mr.. Davis has the courage 70 expose himself
10 the peculiar risks, not of immediate death,
but Of capture, which be would incur in that
position. Some of "our boys are bound to
have his carcass alive, if it costs a thousand
of their lives. 10 '.t... r. ..r-~
BY the way, it Jefferson Davis should lead
the Secession army in person, it is to be
hoped that his memory Tor courage) won't
fail him, as it did at the battle Of Buena
Vista, when he omitted to give the third and
essential command to throw his regiment
into solid square: "By the right and left of
flank battalionsl To the color-mdrch n
The consequence Of this hidtIs yale ds6le1dls
was, that his regiment were left spread In the
form Of v, to receive the charge of four
thousand Mexican cavalry, coming down on
them in full career, on the slopes of Buena
Vista. The survivors of that regiment know
that nothing saved them from humiliation
but their lopg.practiced, deadly marksman-
ship with rifles. at,
Perhaps it was we'll for jefferson Davis
that Zachary Taylor was his father-in- law,
though unwilliDgly so. A sterner and more
Brdtus.iike commander might have ordered
q court martial on the spot, that would have
, condsmned him to have been shot for CO W.
ardice or moral incompetency.
In my opinion, Jeffe rson Davis should have
been court martialed for his disgraeefll mis-
conduct in that battle as soon as it was de-
cided. Perhaps he would have been, but for
his peculiar relations to Zachary Taylor,
whose daughter he had married by stealth,
in opposition to the expressed wishes and
positive commands Of her father. General
(then COlonel) Taylor said to his daughter,
III you marry Lieutenant Davis, will never
see your face again, dead or aliveP' The in
fatuated CIR, nevertheless, eloped with Davis,
who had taken advantage of the patron.
age OF his commanding officer, and vic
lated the laws of hospitality by secretly
gaining the affections of his daughter. In
such adherence did Zacharay Taylor hold
Davis. that he kept his word with frmness
that may be deemed pitiless cruelty. When,
in the course Of time, his disobedient daughter
lay on her death bed, she sent to him PEN
itent message, entreating him to visit her,
that she might die in peace with her father s
blessing, or at least his forgiveness, the stern
reply of the inexorable old man was: 81
warned you that if ever you married that
man, would never see you again, living or
dead, and never willF' And so the unfor-
tunate lady died, unblest and untOrgiven by
him. ti5-fti eaG.r. .1.. 81. saau0 III
When Davis came under the immediate
command Of his father in.law in the
Mexican War, General Taylor refused to
recognize him IN any way, except officially,
as in giving orders, and in other matters of
purely military form and duty.
There Vas a two-fold obstacle to Taylor'B
pertormapces of his duty in the Bnens Vista
matter. Davis was his son. in-law, aud was
at the same time known 10 be the object of
his hatred and abhorrence. He could not
well have escaped suspicion of bad motives
VI pSIbOuhl iSclluk, III 6lluSr NlcW.
A friend, to whom Tread the foregoing, o
short lime fince, gave me the following
sketch of Davis's relations to an old Missis.
sippian, renowned for desperate and reckless
courage; '-"' '-'tA't
Alexander McClune often proved himself,
on the battlefield and on the duelinR-
ground, a man of dauntless and UNSURPASSED
valor, showing an absolute contempt for
death on every occasion that presented, He
killed many men with his own hand, and
finally shot himself in the head. {,
Happened to be in constant ,commuhica.
tion with Colonel A. R, MeCluhg, Of Miss,
in ls4s and 1850 and had almost daily con.
versation with him in relation TO prominent
Mississippians AS a matter of course, JEFF.
Davis was frequently named, and for him
Mc0lung entertained the most supreme con-
tempt. He said that JEFF. was not a man Of
true courage-that he wished to be regarded
!. as q duelist; but in giving a challenge,
would always cast about for a non, combat
ant and would exercise enough prudence TO
creep out ofaecepting one from an anta, onist
over whom he had NOT a great advantage.
McCluDg said, on one occasion;
az amSvery sorry ! eyeFtouRht duel. II
is not o pleasant business; and yet would
like 10 fght one more, with one man, and
that man is Jefferson Davis, because / think
the United States will be better without him.
He will not fight me, be is too great COW,
ayd. In fact he is not now. never was, and
never viii bs q brave man, III the true sense
of the word.
2, l,Hs Is dangerous and willy politician,
loaded down with vanity and self conceit
Wishing only for bis own aggtand ndizement
and he cares not at what expense or how
m8ny desOlate hbuseholdA He thinks Of
himself and himself only, and / should moi
be surprised TO lind him, one of these days
taking snch step tn public as Mill place bis
scoundrtl, And l have frequently ieaounced
him as such before the people of Mississippi
and the dirty rpoltEOOu Tand artfnl villain
never had the courage 70 resent il, t,"sIT--r
These conversations occurred on board
the hip sLtOihe, b. Gardner master 90 our
passage from New Y ork TO YAlparaiso., Ne
O.uBqr n "A ON his yaV 10 Bolivia as OL,srge n