. The life and military services of Lieut-General Winfield Scott, including his brilliant achievements in the war of 1812, in the Mexican war, and the pending war for the Union. tion reached Washington,- in May,1846, that the Mexican forces had crossed the Rio Grande,the President of the United States immediately commu-nicated to General Scott his intention of sending him tothe army to assume the chief command. General Taylorhad been placed in command of the troops, then in thepresence of the enemy, on the recommendation of Gen-eral Scott, who well knew that a proper occasion necessar
. The life and military services of Lieut-General Winfield Scott, including his brilliant achievements in the war of 1812, in the Mexican war, and the pending war for the Union. tion reached Washington,- in May,1846, that the Mexican forces had crossed the Rio Grande,the President of the United States immediately commu-nicated to General Scott his intention of sending him tothe army to assume the chief command. General Taylorhad been placed in command of the troops, then in thepresence of the enemy, on the recommendation of Gen-eral Scott, who well knew that a proper occasion necessary for a development of those brilliant quali-ties of soldiership which have since rendered the name ofTaylor so illustrious. Not wishing to assume the immediate command of the army, and thus snatch from his old companion in arms the glory he was about to acquire; nor willing, at, the same time, to decline a service corresponding to his rank, he suggested to the President,.through the Secretary of War, that he be permitted during the summer months to collect and drill the troops destined for service in Mexico, -—to collect the materiel of the army, and, after the wel 16. SCOTT ORDERED TO MEXICO. 361 season on the Rio Grande had passed, to join GeneralTaylor with such additional forces as would secure withcertainty the objects of the campaign, and at the sametime respect the well-established military usage, that ajunior of distinguished merit ought to be superseded by asenior in rank, only by the addition of large reinforce-ments. The spirit in which- these suggestions were re-ceived by the President and Secretary of War, evinced awant of confidence in the plans proposed by GeneralScott; and a fear lest the political effect of the measuremight prove injurious to the administration, was doubt-less the main reason which caused the order to be coun-termanded. Smarting under a rebuke so little deserved, GeneralScott addressed a letter to the President, recapitulatingthe difficultie
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectscottwi, bookyear1861
