New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-09-27
Heroes OF th.. Mexican War.

II hi. address before the veterans Of the
Mexican war. in Wash:n g:ou. % Monday,
General Albert Pike said:
More than {: any other one n.ac-nore.
perhaps, Than 10 ali Others o: her Generals
IN Mexico. we owe to Zachary TAYLOR our
victcrie. in Mexico and the extension OF the
republic - the golden shores o: California.
with al the great results that have already
come OF are 10 CblLe from these. There
were create: battles fought in Mexico, and
many beyond comparison greater IN the
number OF comba:ancs and !oss .: men in
our civil war than Paio Alto. Resaca de Ia
Palma. Monterey and Buena Vista: bu:
these were the first. destroyed Santa Annals
veterans. and laugh: the Mex!cans to ex.
peot defeat. and QUE men 70 be conf.
den. o! victory. TO matter how
much they outnumbe- us: not that
Taylor's men Won greater glory. but
that. bein: by good fortune the first to
win. they made it possible for their fellow.
soldiers under Scot. t. win eGua: glory with
themselves. Taylor was one Of those men
Of action 20 whom the nations always owe
their greatness: like Give. the savior and
almost the creator o: the Anglo Indian EN-.
pire. who early displayed an aversion to
studio-s pursuits: like Marlborough, who.
a!ways victorious. never knew the sensa.
ton caused hy defeat: like Siwarot. con.
rueros o: the Turkish provinces and Pc.
land. With little education bu: considera.
BILE reading. OF plain manners and simple
habits. n.s wi! was intfexib.e and his reso.
luton indom:tablc. Re never hesitated or
doubted: was never discouraged; Or dispirit.
ed. He described himself faithfully when he
wrote 70 The Secretary 0: War sha. he asked
no favor anG SHRINK from. no responsibility.
I knew him we'll when he was a Colonel.
stationed on tine frontier of Arkansas, never
wearing anything that resembled uniform.
frank. candid, friendly. farmer.iike man,
and proudes Of his fields Of coyn behind his
quarters than OF his rank or troop: and yet
it was more &c he a Lieutenant Colonel
then than !. is to be Major General now.
This plain soldier. simple and unaffected,
like Sherman and StonewalI jackson and
Grant and Lee. had. like them. the art OF
winning the confidence and affection Of his
men. who. seeing him calm and cool, and
Tranquil. on his old white horse among the
bullets. never suspected that defeat was
possible. Fearless as Ney. he was man OF
the largest truta and honesty and most peS'
feet honor. He could not deceive. or falter, or
equivocate. Clearly as he. thought, he
stammered in his speech. and no man was
more incapable of Oratory. But it he had
been eloquent. that which is 80 easy TO many
would have been impossible to him. He
could not have advocated the cause that he
knew t" be wrong, nor have been Jealous
to demonstrate tina: lie was truth. Scott
has his statues. Does not the country owe
one 20 Zachary Taylor! Worth and Quit
man were with him at Monterey. and Wool
at Buena Vista. and he and they are dead.
IS we pause and recall the memories of
those glorious days. o: how many who were
known to u there mus. the same sad word
be said:
By that mysterious faculty, incompre.
aensible and wonderful, that enables us to
see by some inner sight. not the Ekenesses
or pictures Of dead faces, but the very
faces OF the dead as we saw them when
they lived. how many faces we behold of
those that there We're with US then, and are
,ong since mouldered into dust. see the
'aces as plainly as l see yours of marv.
,nany shat knew. and some that dearly
'7ec; o. the brave. the frank, the true, the
S ;n the generous: of Cross and Taylor,
" ooa ano QuitmaE; OF Lee. noble gentle,
" an a.. oh1y captain then: OF jovial Ben Beall
2 s4e Dragons; and Tell, OF Arkansas; and
daroIn, OF Illinois, and Humphrey Mar
:haLl; OF Lincoln. Mansfield. Churchill.
Sarieton. O'Br;en. Washington, Whiting
Brent. Porter. Roane. Borland, Cary. Fry
md OHara; May. Hanson. Pierce, Butler.
jarnett. Bissell, Warren. Bliss Chairman
.us.is, Tom Marshall, Curtis-ah. how TIE
caves have fallen from the tree and left
ne. withered by the frosts Of autumn
AIDED and sere, and waiting my turn to
all. We wander, comrades, sadly and with
SOW step, along the shore of the dim ocean
u the past, and every wave, as it comes
Tut of the far off darkness and plides mn
he beach, brings with it the image of some
lead face that we have loved and lost. and.
Fitn SAD and solemn requiem, lays it at
,ur feet.