The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-01-16
IN COMPARISON WITH THE MEXICAN
WAR.

| htNlcan service tension BIZ. Ihey
claimed-and would admit of no denial
that every man who served even so
much rs GO days in that war, had fully
earned his right to pension of S. a month,
or, If he was dead, TO that amount for his
widow. Nor would they admit that this
right could be forfeited even by the gravest
of all oflenses known to military law-tak-
ing up arms against the Government, and
resisting il upon the battlefield. The law was
made so liberal in its provisions rs TO not even
require actual military service in the enc
my's country. Sixty days service on the
| coasts or frontiers of Mexico or en- route 10
the same was sufficient to entitle the claim
ant to his S. month.
Under this act thousands of men who had
| served brief periods in the Mexican war, and
afterward had fought four years in aid
of the rebellion, were given S. month, or,
/ if dead, their widows received that amount
and all this was warmly approved
/ by the press which is now fighting the
Service Pension Bill. One of the first men
/ TO claim the benefits of the law was a
wealthy Kentuckian, known as "Cerro
GordO" Williams, who commanded a di-
vision of cavalry in the rebel army, and was
subsequently Governor of Kentucky and
| Senator from that State.
But if the service of the average volunteer
in that war richly earned, in the opinion
of those papers, a right to at least So
a month, how can they consistently deny
the right to a similar amount earned
by the average volunteer in the war of the
rebellion? There is simply no comparison
between the amount Of service rendered.
The average volunteer in the Mexican War
did not begin to perform the amount of
service rendered even by the average three'
months man during the rebellion. None of
them enlisted for longer period than IL
months and the average service did not ex-
coed three. June u, 1916, the Governor of
Louisiana addressed formal letter to Sec
rotary of War Marcy, protesting in the
strongest terms against the Louisiana
troops being compelled to serve longer than
six months. He says:
" In my opinion it would be harsh and
unnecessary proceeding to subject them to
the torture If ealisting under IL for II months"
Think of that, We sturdy volunteers of the
rebellion, who endured that torture" for
four times u months!
After the Louisiana troops got into the
field some lawyers among them discovered
that they could not be legally held longer
than three months This would take them
out Of the service fully three months before
Gen. Scott proposed beginning his campaign.
Gen. Persifor F.Smith, who commanded the
Louisiana Brigade, writes letter, which
has some logic which seems very conf
cal at this date. He admits il to be
true that the President could not
call out q man and compel him
TO serve longer than three months, but that
a man who had r0Iuateefed for a longer
period, was in the same position as a woman
who, in entering the married state, had sur
rendered certain rights over her person. A
vOluminous correspondence took place be-
tween Secretary Marcy. Gov. johnson and
Gen. Taylor, which resulted in all the
Louisiana troops, except one company going
home at the end OF three months, and long
before the operations began.
The same row occurred with the Texas
troops. Owing TO Gen. TayIor's great need
Of cavalry, he induced two mounted reei-
ments TO serve an additional six months.
Albert Sidney Johnston, afterward killed at
Shiloh while in command Of all the rebel
forces west Of the Alleganies, was unable TO
induce the regiment he had raised TO remain
longer, and was given volunteer position
On Gen. Buffers staff, where he was placed
in charge OF forage and subsistence. Gen.
Taylor said Of them:
"They leave the field under circumstances
rather Notifying to many Of them"
The ST. Louis regiment was also mustered
out under the same circumstances.
Altogether there were 10l ,282 men mus
tered in for the Mexican war. This includ-
ed ~ SOC Regulars and Marines which would
leave 73.776 volunteers. The Regulars lost
altogether ga killed, and 2102 wounded.
The volunteers only 613 killed, and 1913
wounded The total loss Of the 10I ,2s2-
1897 killed and 3,42O wounded-was much
less than Gen. Grants little army of 80 900,
sustained in two days Of terrific fighting
at Shiloh. The entire loss Of tie volunteers
was scarcely Oae-haif that sustained by
the Vermont Brigade or the Iron Brigade
during their service. The gallant little
Philadelphia Brigade Of four regiments left
more dead men on the field than the whole
Of the "a, 77G Mexican Volunteers. The Irish
Brigade, First New Jersey Brigade, SickIes's
Excelsior Brigade, Heckman's Star Brigade.
G...d,,avB, pr;.,ada NV;II;oL,. Dill ~