Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-09-18
GEN. SCOTT ON LEE.
Calling Him the Greatest Soldier of
His Age.
Why Lee Declined the Supreme Command
of the Northern Armiss-Qns Of the
Grandest Of Sacrifices.

Grandest Of Sacrifices.
The intimate acquaintance of Scott
and Lee began during the Mexican war,
when the latter served as engineer off,
Ger upon the staff Of the commander-in-
chief. An unpublished and confiden.
tial letter from Capt. Lee shows the
staff officers appreciation of his chief:
The great cause of our success was in
his stout heart thst east us on the shore
of Vera Cruz; his bold self-reliance that
forced US through the pass of Cerro
GOrdo; his indomitable courage that,
amid all the doubts and difficulties that
surrounded US at Puebla, pressed US tor
ward TO this capital and finally brought
Us within its gates"
Daring the Early Days
of 1861 we find Col. Lee stationed with
his regiment, in Texas, whence he
wrote as follows:
al can anticipate no greater calamiy
fer the country than dissolution Ofthe
Union. IL would be an accumulation
OF the evils We complain Of and l am
will to sacrifice everything but honor
;OF its preservation. - III the Union is
dissolved and the government disrupt
ed, shall return 10 my people, and,
save in defense, will draw my sword on
nCne."
These weeks later he received orders
TO report at Washington, where he ar
rived three days before the inauYura-
ton of President Lincoln. By the mid
die of April Lee was forced to decide
whether he would continue in the ser
vice of the government or resign his
commission. General Scott, says DIR.
Jones, used all his powers of persuasion
to introduce Lee TO adhere to the Union
and, at last, "Francis Preston Blair lat
Gen. SCOTS suggestiOn) was sent by
Mr.. Lincoln to offer him
TheSupreme Command
of the United States armies in the
field" This assertion has been ques-
toned, but Mr.. Jones, bases his version
the of case not only on "the positive tes-
timOny of Montgomery Blair, who got
it nom his father, and of Reverdy John
son and other gentlemen, who received
it from General Scott" but on letter
which he himself found in Lees private
letters after his death, and which he was
permitted to copy. 1t was addressed to
Senator johnson, and contained the
following passages:
IL never intimated to any one that /
desired the command of the United
States army, nor did l ever have con-
versation with but one gentleman, Mr..
Francis Preston Blair, on the subject,
which was at his invitation, and, as l
understood, at the instance Of President
Lincoln.
After listening to his remarks
declined the Offer
he made to me TO take command of the
army that was to be brought into the
field, stating as candidly and as couI-
teously as / could that, though opposed
to secession and depreeating wal, i could
take no part in an invasion of the
Southern States.
II went directly from the interview
with Mr.. Blair to the office of Gen.
Scott, told him of the proposition that
had been made to me, and my decision.
Upon reflection, after returning to
my home, concluded that ought no
longer to retain any commission L held
in the United States Army, and on the
second morning thereafter forwarded
nv resignation to Gen. Scott.
"At the time hoped that peace would
have been preserved, that some way
would have been found TO save the
country from the ealamities of war, and
| then had no other intention than to
pass the remainder of my days IS pri-
Yate citizen"
DIR. Jones describes the interview
here referred to between Scott and Lee
as a very affecting one" the older
officer begging the younger mot to
throw away such brilliant prospects,"
and thus snake the
Great Mistake OF His Life"
Lees letter of resignation has long been
a familiar historical document, and need
not again be cited, but there Is interest
in this account of the circumstances OF
its composition, as given by DE-. Jones:
1.-THE night before his letter Of resig-
nation was written he asked to be alone,
and while his noble wife watched and
prayed below he was heard pacing the
floor of the chamber above, or pouring
fourth his soul in prayer for Divine
guidance. About three o'clock in the
morning he came down, calm and com
posed. and said to his wife: "'Weu,
| Mary, the path Of duty is now plain be-
fore me. have decided on my course.
| will at once send my resignation to
| Gen. Scott"
Great probability Is given to the view
| that Scott urged the tender OF the held
| command Of the Union armies to Lee
by the testimony which DR.. Jones ac-
| cumulatesas to che veterans opinion OF
! Lees qualities as soldier. After hay-
| ing quoted from SCOTS reports regard
ing his fsvOrite engineer officers SER
vices at Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, and
the City of Mexico, in which he de-
cIsred that Lee was las distinguished
for felieitOus execution as Tor
Science and Daring"
DR.. Jones thus proceeds:
"When, soon after Gen. Scotts re-
turn from Mexico, 3 committee from
Richmond waited on him to tender
him a public reception in the capital OF
his native State, he said: You seek to
honor the wrong man. Capt. X. T..
lee is the Virginian who deserves the
credit of that brilliant campaign.
mGen. William Preston, OF Kentucky,
saws that Gen. Scott told him that ne
regarded Lee as the greatest living
soldier in America and that in 8 con-
yersation not long before the breaking
out of the war General Scott said with
emphasis: IF were on my death oed
TO morrow, and the President of the
limited States should tell me that
great battle was TO be fought, ana
asked my Judgment as to the ability OF
a commander, / would say with my dy-
ing breath, let il be Robert Z. Lee"
~