The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1862-10-28
LETTER. FROM GEN. SCOTT TO MR..
SEWARD. E

! The following letter from Gen Scott to Mr.
Seward (written, it will be seen, before the war;
will go far to redeem the reputation of the old
soldier for military wisdom and Judgment, aud to
place his character in more amiable light than 10
has recently occupied. This letter is, in its
sagacty and general tone far above ANYTHING that
we ever conceived General Scott to be capable OF,
aud proves him to have been, at the time of its
writing, both a statesman and soldier He
| GEMS to have been the only man in the United
States who at all appreciated the magnitude Of
| the enterprise which Mr. Lincoln has since un-
dcrtaken IL endeavoring to subjugate the Southern
States, and yet that even he underestimated its
difficulties, is shown from the fact that largo as
was the amount Of treasure and forces which, in
his opinion was necessary for Southern subiuga-
ton, that amount has been already quadrupled,
and the United States is far from its obi6 cts as
ever! The conciliaory spirit Of the letter, which
not only recommends compromise and forbearance,
but goes so far as to suggest of the means
Of meeting the ex xgences of the tmes-"Say to
the seeded States, wayward sisters depart in
peace" exalts General Scott from the abyss into
which he has been dragged by Seward, and
makes us regret the more that he had not the
moral courage to be guided by the clearness OF his
perceptions and the dictates of his conscience:
WAsuINGroN, March 3, 1861.
Dear Sir: Hoping that in day or two tho
new resident will have happily passed through
II personal dangers and find himself installed an
honored successor of the great Washington, with
you the chief of his Cabinet, beg leave to re-
port in writing what | have before said to you
orally, this supplement to my printed "views"
dated in October last) on the highly disordsred
condition of our ESQ late) happy and glorious
Union.
To meet the extraordinary exigencies of the
times, it seems to that / am guilty Of no AFRO.
gance in limiting the President a field Of selec-
ton to one of the four plans of procedure sub
joined:
l. Throw off the old aud assume new dcsg-
nation-the Union party. Adopt the conciliatory
measures proposed by Mr. Crttenden or the Peace
Convention my life upon it, we shall have
no new case of secession; but the contrary, an
early return of many, if not all, of the States
which have already broken off from the Union.
Without some equally benign measure the re.
manning slavebolding States will probably join the
Montgomery Confederacy in less than sixty days,
when this city being included in a foreign country,
would require permanent garrison of at least
$4,000 troops to protect the Government within
it, Fs..,t e.s- p E.
2. Collect the duties on foreign goods outside
the ports of which this Government has lost the
command, or close such ports by act of Congress
and blockade them
3. Conquer the seeded States by invading
armies. No doubt this might be done in two or
three years by young and able General-a
Wolfe, Desaix or Hoche, with 100000 dis-
cipiined men-estimating third for garrisous,
and the loss of yet greater number by skirmishes,
sieges, battles, and Southern feyers The de-
struction of life and property on the other side
would be frightful, however perfect the moral
discipline of the invaders.
The conquest completed at that enorino Gus
waste of human life to the North aud Northwest.
with at least S250,00 900 added thereto, and cui
JonoP Fifteen devastated Provinces not to bs
brought into harmony with their conquerors, but
to be held for generations, by heavy gsrrisons, at
an expense quadruple the net duties or taxes
which it would be possible to extort from them,
followed by protector emperor.
| f. Say to the seeded States-wayward sisters,
depart in peace.
In haste, remain, very truly yours,
WINFIELD ScoTr.
Hon. W. H. Secdrd dc.