The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1862-11-14

ports of Scott's campaign in Mexico can
fail to observe the frequency with which
special honorable mention is made of three
young officers of the Engineers. In his
first dispatch giving an account of the cap
ture of Vera Cruz, Gen, Scott after ascrib-
ing the success of this operation mainly to
the engineer officers, says: elf there is
any thing in the form, position and arrange
ment of the trenches and batteries, or in
the manner of their execution, it is due to
the ability, devotion, and unremitting zeal
of these officers" Prominent among those
specially named are "Captain R. E. Lee,
First Lieutenant p. G. I. Beauregard, and
Brevet Second Lieutenant George B. Nc
Clellan.
Lee seems to have been the general fa-
vorite of the veteran General, and there is
hardly single dispatch in whichh his name
is not honorably mentioned. Perhaps this
may be owing to the fact that as he was
the highest in rank, the direct execution
of the more important duties was commit
ted to him. In the reports of subordinate
officers, the names of Beauregard and
Mcclellan, with special concentrations of
their zeal and ability, appear with about
equal frequency. We have noted nearly
each of their names; and that of Lee is
found quite as frequently mentioned, main
ly by Scott himself
In reading the reports of the battles in
Mexico, and remembering the positions
now occupied by the various officers, some
curious condolences are found. Thus Ma
gruder gives especial credit to Sumner, and
Joseph E. Johnston is warm in his COM
mendatlon of Reno. After the battle Of
Churubusco, Major Loring reports to his
immediate superior, Earl Van Dorm -
The rifles were accompanied throughout
by the distinguished young Lieutenants
Beauregard, Smith and Mcclellan, the two
latter in command Of a portion of the En-
gineer corps; all, am happy to say, bore
themselves with the greatest gallantry."
At ChurubuscO Mcclellan was under
the immediate command of Lieut.. G. W.
Smith, subsequently Street Commissioner
in New York, and now one Of the "Gen-
erals, 3" the highest rank in the Confederate
service, superior to Major General, and
nearly corresponding to Marshall in
the French army. Smith is especially
warm in his commentator of Mcclellan.
He says: Lieutenant Mcclellan, frequent
ly detached, and several times in command
of the Engineer Company, is entitled to
the highest praise for his cool and daring
gallantry on all occasions, in the actions of
the 10Th and GOTH" And again:
''The Rifles, with Captain Lee of the
Engineers, were accommodating the same
works, and had gone to our right consider
ably further from the battery than we
were" Mcclellan was directed to ascer-
tain the posture of affairs, and reported
that Lee was engaged with a superior force.
Il ordered Lieutenant Mcclellan" con-
tinues Smith g to report the result of his
operations to General Twiggs. He did so,
and on the recommendation of Lieutenants
Stevens and Mcclellan, in which l con-
Cured, the first regiment of artillery was
ordered to support the Rifles | have
every reason to be more than satisfied with
the daring gallantry of Lieutenants G. B.
Mcclellan and J. q. Foster, and am much
indebted to them for the efficient manner
in which they performed their arduous du-
ties on the 10th and Goth of August"
At Churubusco, Mcclellan was also un-
der the immediate command of Smith,
who, in his report to Captain Mackall (the
Confederate General Mackall, we suppose,
who was killed near Corinth), says: "To
Lieutenant G. b. Mcclellan, of the Engi-
neer Company, am indebted for most inn
portant services, both as an engineer and 4
company officer. His daring gallantry,
| always conspicuous, was never more clearly
| shown than on this occasion. Operating
! most of the time separately, relied i'm
| plicitly on his Judgment III all matters where
was not present, and am happy to say
! that the result in every case justified his
! decisions
The careful reader of the whole series of
| dispatches respecting the campaign in Mex
! leo will come to the conclusion that the
three men who, after the veteran com
manding General, displayed the highest
military talents, were three young officers
of Engineers, Lee, Beauregard, and Nc
Clellan. Beauregard has not, on the
whole, justified his early promise in as
high degree as the others though it
may be doubted whether the reason is not
to be found in the jealousy of the confed-
crate authorities rather than in the want
of capacity on his part. Lee and Nc
Clellan are now virtually at the head of
the two armies OF the North and the South,
and by the almost unanimous consent of
both sides they are the most capable men
to fill these posts. SO far as we can now
judge, from the combined result of the
whole series Of operations in which they
have been pitted against each other, Nc
Clellan has shown himself the superior.
His campaign in the Peninsula resulted
unfavorably, it is true, but the unanimous
verdict of the country is that this was
owing to MS plans being thwarted by men
without any competent military knowledge.
The success of his operations in Maryland
where he has had uncontrolled authority
vindicates the highest claim for military
capacity which his friends have ever ad-
vanced for him.-La'per's Weekly.