The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-01-29
General Scott on the War

The New York correspondent of the
Boston journal writes of General Soo1r:
General Scott kept open house on New
Years He has broken up housekeenino
and has rooms at DelmOnico's In The
elegant mansion of Moses H. Gr;nnau
corner of Fifth Avenue and Fourtaenth
street, with several spacious dwellinn
houses added to it, Delmonico has his m
town establishment. In suite of parlors
On the lower floor, furnished in a style
suited to his rank, General Scott has his
headquarters. His rooms are such as q
military gentleman of position and for
tune would desire. They are ornamented
with busts, statues, maps, paintings and
implements of war. His daughter lives
near him, and her children, intelligent
and sprightly, may be seen roaming around
the rooms, climbing his knee for kiss. or
a smile, or a kind word, and throwing a
halo OF youth and pleasure over the home
and declining years of the invalid hero.
General Scott is great favOrite of the
ladies. Every day rare and fresh flowers
are laid by fair hands on his table,
hlllng the room with exquisite sweetness.
Fruits OF all kinds are sent in to him daily.
and OF these attentions he is especially
proud, and makes particular mention of
them to all familiar friends who visit him.
His bodily health is not firm. Five wears
ago he met with an accident that affected
his spine, since which time he has not
been able to sit on his horse. Indeed he
has not been on a horse but once since
the accident, and then he was helped on
and of, remaining but few minutes that
his portrait might be painted. He seldom
leaves his room, and walks about it with
great difficulty. But his mind is lust as
clear as when his cannons pealed along
our frontiers in the war of 1912. He is
conversant with all the acts ofthe govern
ment and of he army. He reads every
thing that relates to our national peril, has
his own decided opinions of movements
and OF men, and expresses himsel! freely
without the veil of secrecy or reserve
about the war, its duration and terlnina
ton, the courage and skill of our Gener-
ais and the obstacles which still lie in our
path
| had an interview with him short time
.
did not regard the future prospect as being
very bright. Indeed, he said he did not
see one bright spot in our national horizon.
One thing he thought very remarkable
no war of any magnitude had ever been
prosecuted anywhere before this one, with.
out throwing to the surface men of mark
ed military genius and marked public vir-
| tue. But this war has been fruitful of nc
such result so far. Those who had inspir-
ed mOmentary confidence had disap-
pointed the public expectation We have
had some splendid fighting, but with no
marked results. Our Generals seemed to
have no ability to reap the fruits of well
fought battles. To fight the enemy, to
gain decisive victory, and then let him
escape with his men, guns and baggage,
is simply to make the war endless. He
considered the Presidents amnesty proc
lamation as impracticable, IN consequence
OF large number of persons exempted
from hope of pardon. These would be
made desperate and fight to the last.
If the large number exempted from par
don were in the hands of the President
to-day, and under lock and key, so that
he could, if he would march them out to
death, he could not execute that large
number. Humanity and civilization would
revolt at it. In the judgment of Gen.
Scott, it would be better to offer pardon
to the great mass Of the rebels, and reserve
severe punishment for the leaders only.
More than year ago Gen. Scott supposed
that COrinth and Richmond would both
be taken, and taken at once He not only
expected it, but had never seen any ex-
PLANTATION or reason why it was not done.
Confident OF that result, he sent to the
President plan for the settlement of the
difficulty, North and South. A basis for
the reconstruction of the Union was sent
in. 1t was made the subject of one or
more cabinet meetings, and Gen. Scott is
confident that when the var is over, the
plan will form substantially the basis of a
final settlement