The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-09-24
THE OLD ARMY.
RecOllectiOns Of Some Of the Officers
who Served with Taylor I'm MexicOs
ICorresnonde off, Ia Ibit. dalrh,. n,,,,aa1

lOf ana fought CnOSe brilliant battles, be-
ginning with Resaca de 10 Palma and end
ing with the capture of the City of Mexi-
co. Heintzelman was a captain then, so
was Ridgely, dashing Charley May,
Duncan, Sherman and Bragg. Though
they all did good service, it is of the gen
eral officers we are now writing. The
roster of 1S47 looks strange beside that
of 1880, and many name is missed from
the list. SCOTS ashes sleep beside the
murmuring waters of the Hudson, ut
West Point; twas there he usually pass
ed his summers in the latter days Of his
life. He loved the Military Academy
(though he was not graduate) as we'll
as he was capable of loving anything.
Good soldier though he was, he was
sometimes so austere and uncongenial
that even the members of his personal
staff avoided him. And yet he could ut
times evince tenderness Of nature.
Among some salient traits of his charac-
ter was one of never abandoning point
or permitting himself to be proved in
correct in real or assumed argument.
There is funny anecdote told of him
in connection with the captain of ono of
the companies of volunteers composing
southern regiment. The general was
very emphatic i'll his denunciation of the
practice of eating warm bread. He con-
tended (and no doubt with much cor
rectness) that bread should be eaten stale
and cold. The army on the march had
Of course to eat hard bread and biscuit,
there being no portable ovens in those
days.
"Wcll," said the captain, who one
day visited General Scott in his tent,
rubbing his hands in anticipation,
"we'n soon be in Puebla, general, l
supposeG"
"Well, sir, and what then?"
"Why, we'll get up tho ovens and
have some hot bread"
"Hot bread sir! hot bread!" shouted
the general, rising from his camp-stool
and Strengthening his towering form,
while he extended his arm with majes-
tic air. Ono, sir; sooner than permit
you to commit such an imprudent
act l will stand over the oven with nv
drawn sword"
The remark was 30 unexpected and
the speech and attitude of the general 30
tragic that the captain in relating it
said that for a moment he thought that
from theatrical act.
Next to Scott follows Worth. They
were friends until the quarrel ut the tax
ing of Mexico. Worth WIS chivalrous
soldier, brave, but ut times cynical and
frequently severe in his criticism of 9TH
ers, while he was ever ready to answer
personally for his words and acts. He
had cool, caustic manner of dealing
with those he disliked, but he was q
steadfast and generous friend, and where
he had committed wrong he was quick
to make II PREPARATION. Peace to his
ashes.
Twiggs, who fought on the same fields,
was man of singular characteristics.
Born i'll Georgia and Il stakeholder, he
was intensely imbued with southern IN
stincts ndprejudice. He was possessed
OF large wealth and always carried three
or four of his negroes with him when in
the field. His cuisine was excellent,
and it was always pleasure to dine ut
his board. He was warm and constant
friend, but u bitter hater, and when he
had occasion to pursue an enemy he was
relentless and could be cruel. Ridicule
was weapon that he used msparingly.
He was master of invective, and his
profanity, even in the midst of action,
was Mt times revolving. Brave to fault,
he spared himself as little as his COM
mand. He always estimated the volun-
teer element of the army below its true
worth, and the field officers OF the same
were generally the subject of his sarcasm.
He rode n bay horse that had white
spot on it's tail, and this he had dyed
black and laughed at himself for doing
so. No man loved to torment others bet
ter than himself. He took savage
pleasure ut times in making others mis-
cradle.
Twiggs belonged to the "Army of In
vasion," that is, he was on Taylor's line
in the beginning of the war. One day
when long train of wagons was toiling
up steep hill ut Camargo, and the
mules were straining their utmost on the
traces, he noticed teamster was careless
ly walking beside his animals carrying in
his hand small switch, while the rest of
the drivers were furiously cracking their
whips. As Twiggs eyed the luckless
man, his ire was raised and he launched
a torrent of abuse upon him. "Come
here, Colonel Harney," he cried, "and
The teamster, aroused to his peril, and
hoping to atone for his supineness,
stopped down and picking up stone,
hurled it ut his mules, striking one OF
them. In IN instant Twiggs was off his
horse, and grasping q stone, took de-
iberate aim, sent il flying through the
air, striking the teamster fairly in the
back. The man threw up his arms with
an ooh !" as he looked behind him and
saw the general.
"Just what the mule would say, my
man, If he could speak," remarked
Twiggs, coolly, rs he mounted his horse
and rode away.
After the battle of Contreras as night
was coming on, Twiggs was reclining be-
meath tree with his orderly holding his
horse. Just then General Pillow came
riding up, in great uneasiness of mind.
Duncan's battery was reported to be
captured, and it belonged to Pillows
command. Pillows asalmost distracted
ut the thought of this calamity, and APP
pealed to Twiggs to get his opinion us to
whether he thought the battery was lost
and what he had better do under the cir
cumstanccs.
tiiluh IL ihipc ithoiy VIC poooSiy
has been captured" replied Twiggs,
turning over on his side, while his eyes
emitted malicious satisfaction.
"Heavens!" calculated Pillow, "what
shall do?"
"Better send out regiment to look
for them," rejoined his prosecutor.
"Oh! if I could only find General
Scott" moaned Pillow, wringing his
hands. "Can you direct me- to his head
duarters?"
"Indeed I can't, General" returned
Twiggs.
"Won't You assist me to discover it
I will take 1t as q special favor" con-
tinued Pillow.
"Why, certainly" replied Twiggs,
who had now tormented the other sutfi-
GENTLY. "Orderly, my horse"
Mounting, he rode forward with Pill
low by his side and in ten minutes was
at SCOTS tent. Duncan's battery had
been safe all the while, and Twiggs knew
it.
AS story-teller Twiggs Ind few s,l.
periors, and he always had a supply of