Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-06-07
Death Of Lieut.-Gen. scott.
From the N. Y. 1ribans, May 3O,h.I

Death Of Lieut.-Gen. scott.
From the N. Y Tribans May soihI
Lieut.. Gen. WINFIELD SCOTT died oil
I West Point litils after | ! O'Clock yester
day morning. Few Americans will heal
without emotion the announcement Of the
death of one who in years past has deserved
so well If his country; although, infirm ss
he had heen for L ng while. the news does
not coue upon Us with the shock of q sur.
prise.
| Winfield Scott was horn IN Petersburg.
Va, june Is. 1856 and consequently at
the time Of his death lacked only two week
Of the age OF ~. He was the grand son Of
an adherent Of the pretender. who fed to
/ America from the field Of Cullodcn, and the
son OF Captain William Scott, an officer ef
the army Of the Revolution He was edu.
Gated at William and Mary College, and
after having devoted short time to legal
studies, removed to Charleston, with the
intention of prscticiDg there az lawyer. -
But the war with Great Britain was then
4 imminent. aud when hosiilifies seemed eh
] the eve Of breaking out, young Scott, who
| once before on a similar alarm had ridden
twenty-five miles by night, as soon as he
heard cry for volunteers, and appeared on
parade the next morning 10 borrowed uni
| form in the rank, Of draeoen regiment,
threw down his books and hastened 10
Washington to ask for a commission. In
April, 1903, bill passed Congress author
izing the increase Of the Regular Army by
the addition Of eight new regiments, and on
the Sd of the next month Scott was appoint
ed a Captain in one of them-the light ar
tillery. He recrnited his company in
Petersburgh and Richmond, and was sent
=. -. n.l..no a. ioin . ha
the Mississippi, then commanded by Gen.
Wilkinson. who was shortly afterwsrd re-
lieved BY Wade Hampton. the grandfather
of the notorious Rebel cavalry leader
Scott cordially dste,ted Wilkinson. who he
regarded as coward and an accomp!ice in
the treason of Aaron Burr, and with the
hot headed contempt for consequences which
always distinguished him, he expressed his
opinion of bis commander very freely at q
public table. The consequence was court
of inquiry, partly into this matter, and part
~ into a technical irregularity in bis ac.
counts, involving. however, no personal dis
honor. He was sentenced TO be suspended
for year, This time he employed at home
in studying law, and. to a subordinate
degree in reading works on military science.
"Should war come at last, he wrote during
this interval, who knows but that | may
vet write my history with my sword? =
Very soon after reioining his command he
was assigned position on Gen. Hampton's
staff But it is curious to mark how unset
tied he seemed to be about his future career,
fer he continued to review Coke and Black
stone as energetically as he reviewed the
trrops, and thought as much about lsdmisson
to the bar of New Orleans as he did about
glory in the field The war came at last. in
1912. and Capt. Scott was promoted to the
rank Of lieutenant colonel. and ordered to
the Niagara frontier. Here he witnessed
his first battle--the affair of Queenstown
Hiehts-whsre he commaHded on the field
during the latter part OF the day, aud great
~ distinguished himself. In cons.q
of the cowardice of the American reserves,
he was taken prisoner with his whele com
mand, hut was soon exchanged. The Brit
ish. acting up to their doctrine OF "perpetu
al allegiance" which had been PRINCIPAL
cause of the war. selected the Irish and Brit
ish-born prisoners to be sent to England ana
tried for treason; but Col. Scott induced our
Government to adopt such vigorous rctalia.
tive measures that the men were released.
In the Spring of 1918, he returned to the
frontier, with the rank of colonel and the
position of chief Of staff to Gen. Dearborn,
CAPTURED For. George on the 9th of May.
when he was severely wounded. He shared
in ths abortive frontier campaign of that
unprincipled imbecile" las he used to call
himj, Wilkinson, and when that was over,
was sent with the rank of brigs sdier-general
to command camp OF instruction at Buffalo.
The value of his lahors In this place was
strikingly displayed at the battle OF Chip
pewa, July 4, 1914 when, after long series
Of disasters, the American armies gained
victory, small in itself, but most important
in its moral effect. In this engagement. as
we'll as 10 the we'll fought battle OF Lundy 8
Lane, about three weeks afterward, Scott
had gallant and prominent share, In the
lattor action be was twice wounded. lie
was Immediately hTevetted Maior-General,
and Congress ordered gold medal 10 be
presented to him in testimony OF their ap-
preeiation Of his distinguished services,
land of his uniform gallantry and good con
duct in sustaining the reputation of the
arms ofthe United States" He was offered
the post of Secretary of War but declined
it. The peace which soon ensued gave him
an opportunity to visit Europe, where he
saw Paris during the allied occupation, and
made mary distinguished acquaintances.-.
With the exception Of the publication of
| his "1ieneral Regulations for the Army
in 1925, and one or two personal quarrels
with Gen. Jackson and others, which for
tnnately did not lead TO hostile meetings,
he did nothing to bring himself much before
the public until the outbreak of the Black
Hawk in 1882, when he was sent to the
West in command of au army, but had no
opportunity of fighting. During the nulli-
fieation troubles he commanded in Charles
ton. The hoStili,ies with the Seminole
Indians in Florida began in 1885, and Scot,
was ordered to the theater of war, bnt was
soon recalled and sent to the Creek country.
His campaign here too was brief, and was
closed BY q court of inquiry, which decided
fully in his favor. He attributed the sum
moning of this court to the personal enmity
of Gen. jackson. In is4l he became Gen
eral,in Chief, on the death of Gen. Ma
comb.
Passing over the difficulties arising from
the Canadian Rebellion in 1887, the North
Eastern boundary disputes in 1889, and the
removal of the Cherokees from Georgia, in
all which General Scott rendered important
services to the Government, We come to the
war IN which he was To reap his greatest
harves. of renown, and establish a reputa
u Il VI,