rrr AND FABLERS' - AMD. 'MECHANICS'. REGISTER. OF NOT PAID WITHIN TiTE YEAR, $2 53 WILL BE CHARGED. TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, 5 HALF-YEARLY IN ADVANCC.J PRINTED AND PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY J ON AT II AN ROW, SOMERSET, SOMERSET COUNTY, PA. New Series. ,Zlje arioir3 nrquicm. BY ROBERT E. II. IXVERIN'O. Air. "Pltyd's Hymn" Battle joy and battle woe, Chequer'd tidings mingling flow, Sound of glorious victory, Plaints of conquerors who die, Triumph palm and cypress gloom Glory's path is to the tomb! Triumphers in martial fame, Breathing- in the patriot flame, Marking with full ectaey, Freedom's banner waving high, "Whence the mingling sigh and tear As ye muse the Souhern war? Ye have gladness for the time, Mark'd by victory sublime Souls to give, and hearts to stand Nobly by your native land! Ye have tears, and shed them, too, For the dead who died for you. "Weepers' round the nation's, urn, Noble hearts that nobly mourn, Sighing for the mighty slain; Dead they'd live to die again As their ling'ring spirits said, ' Well yc weep the Nation's Dead! Sigh, but do not sigh in vain; Muse, but muse the battle plain, As ye mourn their triumphs done. Seek the deathless wreatli they won; As ye weep beyond control, Gird their mantles 'round your soul! View them linked with Washington, Worthies ol the eras gone, Whisp'ring from the world on high It ' Triumph wreaths for chivalry Pointing to the path they trod, Glory's path to glory's God! Spirits of the spirit land, Glitt'ring as a hero band, Ye shall cherish thoughts of peace, Sooth ins from the land of blUs Ye shall come with greatest pow r, Nerving for the battle hour! Ye shall through the glory field Stir to martial fame and deed Whisper, if we there survive, 'Sweet for native land to live!" Whisper, if we bleeding lie, Sweeter still for it to die!" Correspondence Ilttwecn Gen. Scott unci tiic War Department. Head quarters vf the Army. Washington, May 21, 1846. Sir: I have received no orders, as vet, assigning me to the immediate com mand of the army about to be raised to conquer a peace within Mexico; but I have been told to hold myseif in readi ness for that service. From that mo ment I have occupied myself, incessant ly, with the vast preliminary arrange ments which can only be made advanta geously at this place, through the respec tive chiefs of the general stafl the adju tant general, quartermaster general, com misary general of subsistence, chief of ordnance, and surgeon general. I have been much occupied also in the distribu tion of the quotas of volunteers needed among the several States; in apportion ing the horse to the foot; in the study of the routes of march and water conveyan ces for the several bodies of troops to the -best points m the frontiers of Mexico; in the study of the northern interior, and the southern routes of that republic; in looking to the means of transportation on the Rio Grande, to and beyond that riv er; in determining the depots of supplies of all sorts on this side, &c, :c. As these matters are respectively set tled, orders and instruction have been, or will be given, to the chiefs of the general stafl at this place, and the routes of march and water conveyances, together with the depots of supplies of every description, are finally to be communicated to the un known commanders of volunteers whose services are to be accepted. In the midst of these multitudious and indispensible occupations I have learned! from you that much impatience is already ' n i u- i !, I i,,i.0 : -r . ; .B. . ; noiaireeuy pui uiyacu m iuuic .ut ui Rio Grande; and now. with fourteen hours 7 Vr i , tci ir my nanus lor rami, uays, , UI1U .u , compelled to stop that necessary work to guard myself against perhaps .utter con - damnation in the quarters alluded to. I am too old a soldier, and have too much J. . ;f , ... ' r, 2 1 . , ' - , , . e . tations, it lie did not believe that it was cpecial experience, not to feci the infinite . , , , -i, - r u- v e ir .j intended to cuect a change of his pur- lmportance of securing myself against dan- . , T 45 4, r 1 ,. r.w .;u - i . pose in this respect, lam, therefore, di- ger (ill will or precondemnation) in my 1 . , , r. ,i -n ur-A .i !i- J rectedbvhim to say that you will be rear before advancing upon the public en- i , . . . u v . r r . continued in your present position here, Not an advantageous step can be taken ! anJ wiU devote your efforts to making ar in a forward march without the confi-' ngcraents and preparations for the ear- d.nce mat all is well behind. If inser-u in that quarter, no general can put his whole heart and mine! into the work to be done in front. I am, therefore, not a little alarmed, nay crippled in my energies, by the knowledge of the impatience in ques tion, and I beg to say I fear no other dan ger. My intentions hare been, after making ell preliminary arrangements here, to pass down the Ohio zzi Mississippi, to see, or assure myself by correspondence, that j hasty plate of soup, demands a prompt re the volunteers, on whom we are mostly j ply to rely in the prosecution of the existing j You have taken four days to re war, are rapidlv assembling for service; fleet, and to convict me, upon my letter to learn the probable time of their' readi- to vcu of the 21st instant, of official, per ness to advance upon Mexico; to ascertain haps, personal disrespect to the constitu- i their supplies of every kind are in ; piece, or are likely to be in place in suffi cient time; to hasten one and the other; to harmonize the movements of volunteers, and to modify their routes (if necessary) so that all, or at least a sufficient number, shall arrive at the indicated points in the Mexican frontier at the best periods, and, as far as practicable, about the same time. All that I have but sketchedI deem to be not only useful to success, but indispensi ble. As a soldier I make this assertion without the fear of contradiction from any honest and caxdid soldier. Again (head cuplandum condemna nation of all other persons whoever may be designated for the high command in question, there can be no reliance (in his j absence) other than the active, candid,and steady support of his government. 11 1 cannot have that sure basis to rest upon, it will be infinitely better for the country (not to speak ot my personal security) that some other commander of the new army against Mexico should be selected. No matter what he may be, he shall, at least, be judged and supported by me, in this office and every where else, as I would desire, if personally in that com mand, to be myself judged and support ed. My explicit meaning is, that I do not desire to place myself in the most perilous of all positions a fire upon my rear FROM WASHINGTON', AND AFIRE IN FRONT from the Mexicans. It was distinctly admitted, and laid down as a basis, in the interviews I had the honor to hold with the President and yourself on the subject, that a spe cial army of some thirty thousand troops, regulars, and twelve months' volunteers, would be necessary for the march against, and the conquest of a peace in Mexico. I adhere to that opinion. It is foreseen, with tolerable certainty, that we shall nt have, in many months, more than sev en thousand (if quite so many) regulars, j applicable to that service. The remain ing numbers are to be made up m volun teer horse and foot. I suppose of these, taken together, about 17,000 have been actually called for. There is yet . good time I think to make the additions sugges ted in one of the tables I had the honor to submit last night. But for the conquest of a peace, by regular, incessant, and forward move ments, the basis of our calculations here (as to numbers) must be altogether ex travagant, if a much larger army, inclu ding that in position, and one very differ ently composed, (in horse and loot,) be not necessary. It was to command such larger army thatl understood myself likely as to be sent to the Mexican frontier, as it is always unjust to a junior general who has done well, to supe rcede him by a gen eral of higher rank, without sending with the latter corresponding reinforcements. I should esteem myself the unhapy in strument of wounding the honorable pride of the gallant and judicious Taylor, if ordered to supercede him under differ ent circumstances. However the foregoing suggestions, (hastily thrown together) may be viewed, I have deemed it due more to the country than my humble self, that I should pre sent them, and await the wishes or the or ders of the President. With great respect, I have the honor to remain, sir, your most obedient serv't. Winfied Scott. Hoa. W. L. Marcy, Sec'y of War. War Department. May 25, 1810. $ Entertaining, as it is most evident you do, the opinion that such are the motives and designs of of the Executive towards you, and declaring it to be your explicit ; meaning that "you do not desire to place yourself in the most perilous of all po- I silioilS A FIRE UPON YOUR REAR FROM front T"E ."JCANV a"d 80 enterlain" ma mem entirely without cause, or even the shadow of justification, the President 1,1 u , ,; v.:. j... i j yviui lie niuiiiii" in uis Ulilv IO IMC coun- I try, if he were to persist in his determi nation of imposing upon you the com d f h . Uq misunderstand , lhe objec .M iQ : u,lannA .l;.;.,,. ? V anu V?S prosecuuon oi nosuuues : against Mexico. ! I have the honor to be, very rcspect- luliy your obedient servant. W. L. Marcy. Major General Wixfield Scott, Commanding General, fcc. . Headquarters of the Army, Washington, May 25, 1846. S Sir: Your letter of this date, received at about 6, P M as I at cWn to take a TUESDAY, JUNE noma commauucr-iu-unu ui me anuy and navy of the United States. If you have succeeded m imparting that impression to the President, then, by the ' conclusion of your letter, written in his behalf, I am placed under very high ob- ! ligations to his magnanimity may I not ' add, to his kindness? in not placing me instantly in arrest, and belore a general ( before him: In this copy I have insert court martial. I may ihcn hope that the ed in brackets a material word; "friends" President saw no such intended disrespect; ; accidently omitted in a hurry of wri and I can assure you both that I feel too ' ting, and also adevelopementof my mean great a deference to the constitution and ing in another place, in red ink and in the laws of my country to oiler or to cle- ; sign an trate. indignity to our chief magis- The strongest passages in my condemn- ! ed letter are, I think hypothetical. In it, 1 spoke ol "impatience "pernaps About me idtn mst., ootn you ana me high quarters," of "perhaps utter condem- j President expressed the desire, very ex nation,in the quarters alluded to."ofihc"in- j plicitly, that I should conduct, on an ex finite importance of securing myself against i tensive scale, with the new forces about danger HI will or precondemnation) in j to be raised, the conquest of a peace with mv rear," and of that "most pirilous of j in Mexico. I considered myself honor all' nositions" to anv commander "afire ' ed by the intended appointment, and I - I' ri -i f wr 1 upon iusj rear uum i iisiuugiun, uuu the fire in front from the Mexicans." And I also spoke of the necessity of "the active, candid, and steady support of(such commander's) government" in the hope of conciliating it. Now, if there be any offence to the President in these passages the intention of committing which I utterly disclaim it must, in candor, be found in the mean ing of the passages "high quarters" and the "quarters alluded to," which qualify all the others quoted by you. It wili be perceived that I spoke not of the highest quarter, but, in the plural, "high quarters;" and I beg as an act of justice, no less to myself than the Presi dent, to say I meant "impatience," and c ven "precondemnation," on your pnrt,and the known, open, and violent condemna tion of me on the part of several leading and supposed confidants of the President in the two houses of Congress,(high quar ters;) because, on an intimation not an order I did not fly to the Rio Grande, without waiting for the invading army, yet to be raised nay abandoning it to get to that river as I could, and without the least regard to the honorable pride and distinction of the gallant general already in command on that river; who, we knew, had done well, was doing well, and who, I was quite sure, and his little army, would if the occasion offered, cover themselves with glory. My prediction, in this res pect, has been fully accomplished. But that I did fear, and meant to ex press the fear in my hasty letter of the 2 1st. that those persons htre enumerated would;sooner or later,impart their precon demnation of me to the President, I will not deny. My letter was written, in part. to iruard both the President and mvsell against such' a result, which would have been fatal, not only to me, but perhaps, for a campaign to the service of the coun try. Hence the details I entered into to the President and the Secretary of War neither supposed to be professionally experienced in the technical preliminaries of a compaign what had been, and what would continue for some days my incessant occupations. Then; is no spe cial pleading in this explanation. Ius'writ ten and offered in good faith; in proof of which I beg to refer to my letter to you of this date, sent here three hours before the reception of that to which I am now re plyiug. . You speak of my interview with the President on the subject of the intended formidable invasion of Mexico. I wish 1 had the time to do justice to my recol leftionof the President's excellent sense, military comprehension, patience, and courtesies, in these interviews. I have since often spoken of the admirable qual ities he displayed on those occasions, with honor, as far as it was in my power to do him honor. And to you, sir, allow me to say I have not accused you, and do not mean to ac cuse you, of a set purpose to discredit me as the commander at first designed for the new army that is to invade Mexico. I bear in mind with pleasure the many per sonal courtesies that I have, for long years received at your hands. But I have for many days believed that you have allowed yourself to be influenced against me by the clamor of some of the friends to whom I have alluded. To that source, and from no ill-will of your own, I have feared that you had not made, and were not likely to make, the just and easy explanations in my behalf, which might be made, i ou are also aware of other causes of uneasi ness I have against the department of the want of that confidence and support necessary to my official position wheth er here or on the Rio Grande. I have heretofore explained mycelf on these points, which renders repetition unneces sary. ' Whether it shall be the pleasure of the President to send me to the Rio Grande, (which I would prefer,) or to retain me here. I can only say, I am equally ready to do my duty in either position, with all my zeal asd all my ability 23, 1846, In great haste I have the honor to re main your obedient serv t. WixriELD Scott. Hon. W. L- Marcy, Sec'y of War. Headqtarter3 of the Army. 3 Washington, May 27, 1846 Sir: I had the honor to receive your letter of yesterday, at my office, about 9 o'clock at night, Asyou do not say that'you had shown my explanatory note to you of the previous night, May 25, to the President, may I i P beg you to lay the fair copy (herewith) , brackets. Allow me to recapitulate some of the principal facts in my present (to me) un- . 1 . I . l IT fortunate misunderstanding with the War Department. Krt beg that my expression on the occasion, which I need not here repeat may be re membered. I have said in mv letter to you of the 21st instant, "I have received no orders as yet, assigning me to the immediate com mand of the army about to be raised," &c. No officer of the army or navy was ever despatched by any executive, on dis tant and important service, without writ ten instructions, or orders from his gov ernment. I have received no such paper, and have never even heard that such pa per had been drawn up, or was even in preparation for me. It is evident, then, that, without written instructions, or or ders, I could not have left my habitual du ties here, independent of the preliminary arrangements for the formidable move ments contemplated against Mexico. On the 18th instant, hearing that Mex ican troops had posted the Rio Grande, and of the capture of Capt. Thornton's detachment. I addressed a letter to Gen. Taylor, a copy of which I annex, and beg it also, (with this letter, " may" be laid before the President. 1 he letter to Gen. Taylor was twice sent up to. you before it was despatched, and at your in stance, was changed (by the omission cf a paragraph) to the exact shape ol this copy. Its last paragraph in these words: " I do not now expect to reach the Rio Grande much ahead of the heavy rein forcements alluded to above, or to assume the immediate command in that quarter before my arrival." I quote this pr-rnph to shsw tht I did not expect to be seat u the Rio Grande, and did not even suspect it was the intention of the President, or your self, to send me thither, " much ahead of the heavy reinforcements alluded to" viz: some twenty odd thousand volun teers, besides a few additional regulars. Though I h id occasion to see you . twice or thrice in the meantime, I heard no complaint from you, and received no correction of. that misapprehension if, in fact, I had fallen into any before the evening of the 23th inst. when you spoke of the impatience manifested at my oc cupations (or delay) here which com plaint caused my letter to you of the next morning May 2lsf It seemed, therefore, evident to me at the time, that your complaint had been (faused by the out of door clamors to which I have since alluded. Three hours before I received your let ter of the 25th inst. conveying the dis pleasure of the Executive, and without the least expectation of receiving such a letter, I had sent in to you my report or note of the same day, (the 25th) which concluded with this declaration: "I think my preliminary and necessa ry occupation may be ended here in (say) three davs more, when promising that ifter the srreat and brilliant victories of the gallant Taylor, (of which we have ; party who chose Dunleavy as their cap recently heard,) I should he ashamed to tain. It was generally believed that Gov. supercede him before the arrival of compc- j Bocca would return. They had receiv tent reinforcements to penetrate the intc- j cd news that several thousand Mormons nor of Mexico, and to conquer a peace had crossed the river at Iowa Point, on I shall be ready for any instructions or their way to California. As Bcggs ap orders with which the President may j prehended some danger of being assas honor me." sinated by them, he began to talk strong- And again on that day (the night of . ly of returning. It was impossible to ob the 25th) after receiving the censure of tain a correc t estimate of the number of the President, through your letter, I con- j wagons and souls in the emigrating par cluded my prompt explanatory reply, tics up to the time our informant left. thus : - "Whether it shall be the pleasure of the President to send me to the Rio Grande, (which I would prefer,) or to retain me here, I can only say I am equal- ly ready to do my duty in either position with all my zeal and all my ability." I still hope when the President shall have read that explanatory letter and the foregoing exposition of facts attentively, he may be willing to recur to his original purpose, and accord to my senior rank the nrefercne which I have never renserf to cntertain&wh'ch I shouldhave pressed with incessant zeal, but for the apprehen- sions heretofore expressedand which 1 your letter hae nearly, if not quite, re to claim that j resident deem ! command, when ever the P : it proper to give me the assignment is moved. I therefore be? whether to-day, or at any other better S Leavenworth had been ordered to Coun time, he may be pleased to designate. cil Grove, on the Santa Fe road, to ex- In your rejoinder to ma of yesterday ' amine wagons as they pass, and seize up (May 26th,) which I have acknowledged ' on all the powder and ammunition that above, you quote from my letter of ex- they may find going to Mexico as mer planation the words: "You are also a- ehandize. This report in not generally ware of other causes of uneasiness I credited. Several campanies of traders have against the department," &c. &c. contemplate leaving in about ten days. Your notice of this complaint, on mv St. Wain, of Bent's Fort, is expected in j part, is so liberal not to say kind that nm hnnnd tri h fnink and cxd hcit. as to " I one ot those causes. 1 nau, npon my mind, in hastily penning those words, these facts : Brigadier General Woo! was called to this place, by a letter cf your own writing, to command, under me, one of the detached columns against Mexico, according to an understanding between the President, you, and me, that to effect. I saw Gen. Wool first, the day of his ar rival (May 17) and communicated to him v ' - . . . . ...... the purpose oi lus being called to this pjacc : In a day or two I learned from General ' Wool that, notwithstanding my intima-, tion, he had been told by you, he might not be ultimately assigned to that com- mand, because, perhaps, other generals might be authorized and appointed, for the3 army, and called into service from . the States. That information gave mc no serious annrehensions for Gen. Wool or : invself, until I saw, in the morning of the r 20th a bill reported in the Senate (at your j immediate instance I knew,) the day be - fore, providing for two major generals, and four brigadier generals, to be added to the regular military establishment, besides giving m the President the power of se- j lectin-r Stale Generals for the command of the 50,000 volunteers. I then thought I saw a strong probability that bothGen Wool and myself would be superseded, at least IX the war against Mexico, by two of the new regular generals of our res pective grades, to be appointed, as was generally understood, lrom civil or pout ical life. It was then that my apprehen- sions became serious, as may be seen in my letter to you on the following day, (May 21st,) and in many of my subse quent acts. From that moment, (before my letter of the 21st.) I have had but lit tle doubt down to last night, that if that bill became a law connecting it with the clamors against me, to which I have allu ded I should not be sent against Mexi co. I will now, however, hope for better fortune; still appealing to the justice of the President for all the rights of senior rank. I have the honor to remain, sir, your most obedient servant, WIXFIELD SCOTT. P. S. I add to the papers, herewith, a copy of Col. Butler' EXPLANATORY NOTE? of'J rojh iket-:h made by Lira, of North cm Mexico, which is very, valuable. The Colonel, in the notes, is not so full on the raixy season as he and Gen. J. T. Mason were in conversation with me. bef again to refer to them personally. W. S. Hon Wm. L. Marcy, Sec'v of War. War Department, June 2, 1846. Your communications have all been laid before the President, but I have re ceived no instructions to change or modi fy the directions contained in the closing part of my letter of the 25th ultimo. Very respectfully your ob't serv't. WILLIAM L. MARCY. Major General, W. Scott. Correspondence of the St. Louis Ke publican. Independence, (Mo.) May 20. A gentleman who has just arrived from the California camp on Kansas riv er, informs mc that the company had or ganized belore reaching that point, but had divided, owing to a slight altercation which took place between Captain Rus sull and Rev. .Mr. Dunleavy Russell called off all that were- willing to go with . him as their commander, leaving a larre two hundred and thirty wagons had crossed Kansas river. It was supposed ' there were about sixty yet to cross. The number of souls in both the Oregon ' and California companies, in the aggre- j gate, is estimated at about two thousand, Several companies of Mexican traders have gone out since the war news reach- ed here, and "are making rapid pace a- ! cross the plains to get into Mexico as soon as possible. They fear the LT. S. troops at Fort Leavenworth will be or- rip mil tn interceot them, several co in " ww.w-- J panics yet to go out are hesitating wheth- er they will go or not; but the boldest i wili venture at any rate. They have no ' dread cf any thing, if they can once jet Vol. 4. No. 32. into Mexico; but they fear interruption on the part of the United States. There a report out, that troops from Fort a few days. A small company of three wagons arnvcu mis morning irora mo mountains: they bring no news ol inter est. Gen. S. Lucas ol the 4th Division of the Missouri Militia, has received orders from the Adjutant General of the State to raise seven companies of volunteers, to organize and be brought under discipline and hold themselves in readiness to enter the service at a moment's warning. The general day for volunteering in this place e- - . Air ,i i 'PL. is nxeu lor nexi euue3ujy. iiiu m of tiie military spirit has caught in thi upper country, and many are anxious to engage in the conflict. Most of them d not like to volunteer, and remain at home inactive: they wish to enter the service as soon as they volunteer. If volunteers wcr to be called for to march to the scene of war immediately, you would find whole regiments from upper Missouri who would pour in. But at the time we ii f rt r tr received me call oi uov. r.uarus ior 1200 men, it was too late to get in me number required was neanj maue up m j St. Louis before the ncw3 reached us. .There are a few fighting men in upper j Missouri, and if they want them they can get them in short order. We see it mentioned in the St. Louis papers, that it was in contemplation to raise volunteer campanies in Missouri, to march to New Mexico and take it. The opinion of those here who know best,is that such a thing would be execed ingly impolitic, and that it would ruin our trade with that country. Every I business man in St. Louis knows, or ought to know, that a very large amount of goods are annually bought there lor Xew Mexico, and if we send a military force against them without cause or pro vocation, (for they are with us in part,) I it would intercept this trade entirely, and thereby cut off a trahc that has reached to near two millions of dollars per annum. If the war is protracted, or if our citizens should be ill-treated in Xew Mexico, it would then become necessary to send a military force there to protect them, but under the present condition of affairs it would not be expedient to send any armed force there whatever. If the war continues, and the trade across to New Mexico is still kept up, it will be increas sed at least four-fold over what it ever has ?;een. No doubt New Mexico will fall into our hands with th? Caiiforr.ias. if the war should be protracted. But if a negotiation should be brought about short- ly, such will not be the case. I ! " Business is quite brisk h qu ere; crops 1 4 very promising wheat never looked i better in the country at this season than now. lours, li. IICXRY IIOUX. In our last we stated on the authority of a report from Washington, that Henry Horn, the gentleman who Gen. Jackson said, "can't lie," had been confirmed as Collector of the Port of Philadelphia. This was incorrect, as he had been reject ed by a vote of 25 to 21, but has since been re-nominated to the Senate for the same office, President Polk, having re solved to act upon the precedent set by Gen. Jackson, to rebuke me Senate for daring to act counter to his will. We shall see whether the Senate will suc- i cumb.and lick the hard of power up-rais- cd! Pa. Tel. The Xew York Herald says: "We understand that the immense estate of Lord Townly, which had been in the Chancery for many years, has lately been decided, and the amount is over $70,000,000. Heirs are wanted for three quarters of the estate one quarter of the amout having ben decidcdto be'ong to an aid of the Duke of Wellington. The other heirs in the United St3tes, for whom Mr Crombie, of Xew Xork city is con cerned, are about to put forth a claim, I having the same relationship to the de ceased as the gentleman who has perlect ed his claim." PURPOSES OF THE EXECUTIVE. The following ' emifficial paragraph is from the Washigton Union: Gen. Taylor had, according to the last accounts, about 8,000 troops under his eagles, Hundreds and thousands of volunteers were pouring into his camp. He. will soon be in advance into the ene my's country; and we shall not be sur- 1 prised to hear of his reaching Monterey, 1 about 130 miles from Matamoras, idoui the commencement of the uble-lanu. m a ; healthy region, at no d'sUint diy. j " Annexation r.n J war tjntg i?, every word of iM said. a pPrt ctj uv 'nh i "no sooner do you get XAjcrtrrp th-a vou begrs to Cul