Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-06-01
other leading capital cities ofNorth Amer
A GENERAL AT TwENTY-EIGHT.

who had fought under the iron guidance of
| Wellington with militia-men who neither
understood the art of war nor were suiil-
ciently patriotic to invade the enemys
country without compulsion. He was an
admirer of the French improved tactics,
and disciplined his three brigades and bat
TALON of artillery better than any body Of
men had ever before been instructed in
America. This signalized him as man
impressed with the science of war, and keen
to avail himself OF its latest suggestions.
The brigade thus disciplined soon after
fought the first scientific battles on open
plain ever attempted by American troops.
CHIPPEWA AND LUNDY's LANE.
The plain of Chippewa stretched along
the trembling river of Niagara, with
| background of fir trees, and was bounded
| by two streams, the Chippewa river and
Streets creek, including an area of about
| two miles. The Americans, advancing from
| the site of Fort Erie, crossed Streets creek
on the morning Of the 5th of July, while
| the British were crossing the Chippewa
| bridges; both armies therefore entered the
cleared plain, and Scott's brigade was de-
ployed so as to strike obliquely both wings
| of the British army. The relative forces at
| this moment were 100 British to 1,0OO
Americans. The well drilled brigade Of
Scott formed in splendid order, and the
two armies in full review were only eighty
yards apart when the blaze of musketry
began. An isolated battery, commanded
by Captain Townsend, was seen by Scott
to have neglected the proper point OF de-
| livering fire. The young General therefore
| rode straight down the line of terrible fire
amidst the cheers of his men, and changed
the direction of the battery, which almost
Immediately blew up British caisson-
When General Scott saw this and the con-
fusion it produced, he ordered a bayOnet
charge by the obliqucs, and the whole Brit
ish line was crushed on either flank simul-
taneously. This battle made the young
country ring with plaudits, and was fol-
lowed in twenty days by the action of Lun-
dys Lane, where veteran English regi-
ments were again outgeneralled. In the
latter battle General Scott received two
wounds, one in the shoulder Of great sever
ity, which kept him confined till the close
of the war. In the interim he was offered
the position of Secretary of War, which he
refused but accepted Major Generally,
and was engaged in the grateful labor at
once on cOnvalescencG of reducing the
army to peace establishment.
MAJOR GENERAL, TOURIST, AND AUTHOR.
The American military observer sent
by the republic to Europe was Winfield
Scott; the second, George B. Mcclellan.
His duties were, in part, diplomatic; but his
best services were the compilation of SIN
fantry Tactics" and General Regulations
for the Army" which he prepared after
personal conference with such grand Cap
tains as Soult and other renowned Marshals
of BOnaparte. Up to this time we had, in
point of fact no military literature; and in
these, as in other noteworthy regards, Cen
eral Scott was the pioneer organizer and
ltierateT of the American military estab-
lishment, and of American military litera-
ture.
THE FIRST SECESSION AND THE PLAGUE.
For many years General Scott had the
advantages of repose, study, and association
with the most vigorous and original minds
in the country. lie grew apace, his splendid
physique all the while developing more
magniiCently, as his practical mind enlarged
with the fullness of his patriotism. His be-
came the fondest name in the country, suf-
fering little from political calumny, though
he always tool the keenest interest in pub
lie men and measures, as his autobiography
discoses. While forming combinations to
distract and divide the Indian tribes which
Black Hawk was organizing in 1882 he
faced in two directions the desolating chOl-
era; and when notification at Charleston
threatened the integrity of the Government,
he was so prompt and yet so just that the
rupture was avoided, and civil war averted
for nearly thirty years. 1t might make a
fair parallel to supply. an answer to the
question, as to how far like candid yet
kindly action would have retarded the re-
cent rebellion. His measures, in this case,
were conceived in sagacity and based upon
cheap and humane prevention, rather than
almost ruinous suppression.
GENERAL SCOTS PREVENTIVE OF SECESSION.
1t was the purpose of General Scott, we
may interpolate, had he had discretionary
power at the beginning of the rebellion, to
make the entire plans of the conspirators
futile by strategic precautions thus sum
med up by a Richmond authority at the
time: The plan invented by General Scott
to stop secession was, like all campaigns
devised by him, very able in its details and
knearly certain Of general success. The
Southern States are full OF arsenals and
forts, commanding their rivers and strategic
points. General Scott desired to transfer
the army of the United States to the for
tresses as speedily and as quietly as possible.
The Southern States could not cut off COM
munication between the Government and
the forts without a great fleet which they
can not build for years--or take them by
land without one hundred thousand men,
many hundred millions of dollars, several
campaigns, and many bloody siege. Had
Scott been able to have got these forts in
the condition he desired them to be, the
Southern Confederacy would notnow exist,
ABORIGINAL STRATEGY. a.'
The eventful life of this great captain is
also closely interviewer with the destiny of
the aboriginal population of America. He
may be almost said to have been the per-
sonal arbitrator OF the affairs of this conti-
nent, from Columbus to Andrew johnson.
Scarcely any classification or description of
our people are not in some way directly
identified with him. His name is the mill
tary link between the histories of the West
and Europe. In 1885, and thenceforward
till 1885, he was delegated with the delicate
and responsible task of transferring the Iu-
diaus of Florida, Georgia, and other Gulf
States beyond the Mississippi. The Semi
mole war was one of the pustules of this dis
ease; but the General evidenced so polite,
frank, and prudent maneuvering, that at
length the great undertaking of transfer
ring several races q thousand miles was
safely accomplished. In the midst of these
operations, Scott was court-martialed, but
he passed examination triumphantly, and
the respect of the people was confirmed in
him.
| DIPLOMACY WITH GREAT BRITAIN.
In view of the latest efforts of soldier di-
plOmats TO arrange matters, as in the case,
for example, of Commodore Rodgers, of
Valparaiso, we recall with the pleasantest
satisfaction the sensible and manly letters
| a. N 10 l,>,,sl I.