Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-05-30
WINFIELD SCOTT.


Is lost not merely gallant general and
: devoted patriot, but Ink which boun
e the present generation to that of fft
years ago. For more than half a cen
tury, from the war of 1912 to the grea
rebellion of 1861, there has hardly beef
an event of importance in American his
tory with which he has not been more o.
less intimately associated. The old mai
whose corpse is now lying at West POin
laid the foundation of brilliant anC
lasting military reputation while Madison
was President of the United States ant
Andrew Jackson was rising general ant
politician; while Napoleon was struggling
with Winter and being overcome by Fate
in the steppes of Russia while the
despairing Pitt lay on his death-bed
refusing to look upon the map of Europe
The general who died yesterday won
famous battles before Waterloo was
fought To recount his history is to re-
hearse the history of the United States
for the last fifty years.
Winfield Scott was born in Petersburg,
Virginia, June 18th, 1856, and would
therefore have been eighty years old had
he lived two weeks longer. He was edu-
Gated at William and Mary College, and
studied law, but, in 1903, was appointed a
captain of light artillery, and stationed
at Baton Rouge. Soon after his appoint
ment however, an indiscreet expression
from him as to the probable completely of
General Wilkinson, his commanding Off
Ger in the treason CT Aaron Burr.
caused his suspension from duty. He
was soon recalled to the service and, in
1872, on the breaking..out of hostilities
with England, was made Lieutenant
Colonel and ordered to the frontier. He
arrived at Lewiston while the battle of
Queenstown Heights was in progress, and
Immediately engaged in it winning tenn
porsry success, but finally losing the day
and becoming prisoner,on account of the
refusal of the troops at Lewiston to cross
to his assistance. He was soon after ex-
changed, and was appointed Adjutant
General, with the rank of Colonel, with
General Dearborn. He fought with dis
tinction at the capture of Fort George,
and commanded the advance of Wilkin-
sons resultless demonstration upon Mon
treal. In the spring of 1914 he was made
Brigndier General, and placed in COM
mand of camp Of instruction at Buffalo,
where he drilled his men to the perfec-
tion of discipline which ensured them vic
tory in the battles of Chippewa..and Lun-
dy's Lane, in which he commanded,
fought July 5th and 25th, 1914 In the
latter, Scott had two horses shot under |
him and was twice severely wounded. !
Ever since-for more than fifty years-he |
has borne the well-earned soJTiguet of The !
Hero of Lundy's Lane Owing to this
victory he was promoted to the rank of
Major General, and was offered seat IN
the Cabinet as Secretary Of War-a po-
sition which he declined. After the war
was over he visitea Europe, arriving there
soon after the battle of Waterloo, and en-
joying the rare opportunities which those |
stormy and tumultuous times afforded the |
military student and the advantage of |
the personal acquaintance of some of Ma
poleon's ablest generals Returning TO |
the United States, he made valuable con-
tributions to our military literature by the |
publication of HScott's Army Regulations"
and aaSeott's Infantry Tactics" the first
of which is still standard work, and the |
second has only been superseded since the |
present war by Hardies on the same sub
ject.
In 1892, on the breaking out of the |
"Black Hawk war" between the Indians |
and the colonists of our northwestern |
territories, General Scott made his way TO |
the scene of hostilities by the chain |
of lakes, in order to guard against |
the contingency of a league of the other
northwestern tribes with Black Hawks |
band. This trip of General Scott's will |
long be remembered by Clevelanders then
resident in this city, in connection with
the first visit of the cholera here. That |
terrible pestilence broke out very vio-
lently among the troops with General
Scott, and it was the unfortunate steamer
Henry Clay, on her return from her
western expedition with General Scott,
which first brought the Asiatic plague to |
our doors. In the same year Scott was in
command in South Carolina at the time of /
the nullifcation troubles, and the tact,
prudence, and eonciliatory power which
he thep displayed, and which have char
his entire career, averted the
war-eloud which hung over that genera
tion, only to break with greater violence
upon the next. he took part in the |
Seminole war from 1885 to 1887, when he |
was relieved by General Jesup and sum-
moned before court of inquiry, called to
ascertain the eanses of the failure of the
Seminole campaign, but the finding of
the court was unqualifedly in his faver,
and it was confirmed by intelligent
public opinion.
The concilistory disposition and COM
promising powers of General Scott were
again called into requisition in 1887, to
prevent the Canadian rebellion, or Patriot
war, and the sympathy with the insur-
gents on this side the boundary, from
eliminating in hostilities between
Great Britain and this country.
In this he succeeded, after most
srduous effort. In the samemanner when
the trouble between the Lieutenant Gov
ernor of New Brunswick and the Cover
nor of Maine as to the boundary-line of
the two countries was near plunging US
into the war with the mother country,
General Scott again made his appearance
as q mediator, and procured the reference
of the whole question to England and
the United States, where it was finally
settled BY the Ashburton treaty in 1912.
In 1871 General Macomb died and Cen
eral Scott succeeded to the place of
commander-in-chief of the United States
army.
The foundation of General SCOTS mill
tary fame was laid in the war with Great