Winfield Scott
For many years after the War of 1812 Winfield Scott was one of the most prominent men in America. He was a very young man at the time of the…
From: 1812 C.E. To: 1869 C.E.
“Winfield Scott” from The War of 1812 by Everett Tomlinson, 1906.
For many years after the War of 1812 Winfield Scott was one of the most prominent men in America. He was a very young man at the time of the war, but his bravery and dash, his ability to lead men, and his boldness, whether on the battlefield or in the presence of his captors, gave to him that element which almost always causes men to ''honor the brave." In addition to all these things, his commanding stature of six feet and five inches and his great physical strength were great aids to him. Few, indeed, have been the men to make so quick an advance in rank as did he. Obtaining a commission as captain in the army in 1809, he worked his way up so rapidly that at the end of the War of 1812 he was a major general.
He was born near Petersburg, Virginia, June 13, 1786. In 1805 he was a student in William and Mary College, an institution which had already sent out many famous men, and in 1807 was admitted to the Virginia bar.
The excitement aroused by the war, however, proved to be too strong for the stalwart young lawyer to resist, and soon he found himself on the Niagara frontier, where his deeds, as we have said, speedily brought him into such prominence that the country from one end to the other sang his praises.
In the autumn of 1812 an attempt was made to invade Canada by crossing the Niagara River. Some of the bolder and braver men did succeed in crossing the river and almost recklessly assaulted the British who were in force on Queenstown Heights; but the others could not be coaxed or driven to leave the safety of Lewiston, and so it came to pass that the thousand men who crossed the Niagara were killed or captured.
Among the prisoners secured l)y the redcoats was young Winfield Scott, then a colonel, who had been taken only after a desperate struggle. The regulars among the prisoners were to be sent to Quebec. Just as the vessels in which they were about to sail were preparing to depart, some British officers came on board, assembling the prisoners on deck, and coolly began to separate those whom they were pleased to call Irishmen from the others. The officers declared that these Irish prisoners were to be sent to England and there tried for treason; that they were British subjects, and that once to be a Briton was always to be a Briton.
The noise and confusion on deck were heard by Scott, who rushed boldly into the midst of the men, and as soon as he understood the cause of the trouble protested indignantly against the actions of the British. He was sternly ordered to go below, but go he would not. The soldiers to a man were ready to do his bidding. Twenty- three had already been picked out as Irish subjects of the king, but Scott bade all the others refuse to speak and so betray by their speech the land from which they had come. He boldly assured the British officers that if they dared to harm one of the so-called Irish prisoners, his own government would avenge the outrage. He quietly comforted his own men and at the same time he boldly defied the redcoats before him.
The twenty-three unfortunate prisoners had been taken in irons on board a waiting British frigate, and when Scott was exchanged, as he was in January, 1813, he at once in person reported the outrage to Washington, and a bill was immediately introduced in the Senate “to vest the President of the United States with powers of retaliation." The bill was not passed, however, as it was declared the President already had this power. Fortunately for all concerned, the British thought better of their threat, and so the danger was averted, the English for once having laid aside their cherished doctrine of ''Once a Briton, always a Briton."
Winfield Scott, promoted again, was soon once more on the Niagara frontier, and with him now were abler generals than those with whom he had been associated before. It was during the winter of 1813-1814 that he translated a French text-book on military tactics and gave the American army what it had never had before,—a system of drill. In the battle of Chippewa, July, 5, 1814, in the capture of Fort Erie on July 13, 1814,. and in the terrible battle of Lundy's Lane, July 25, 1814, "General" Scott, for that was the title he then had, took a very active part, and the successes gained were in no slight measure due to his bravery. In the last-named battle he was severely wounded.
Perhaps his spirit and method can be estimated in no way better than to quote a part of his address to his soldiers in the battle of Queenstown Heights. The red-coats were advancing in great numbers. The promise of aid and reenforcements for the Americans from the terrified militia on the other side of the river had failed. Matters were indeed desperate, but just at the most appalling moment, young Scott, his tall form easily seen above all the ranks of men, sprang upon a log and facing his comrades, at the very time when the British came thundering in, cried:—
“The enemy's balls begin to thin our ranks. His numbers are overwhelming. In a moment the shock must come and there is no retreat. We are in the beginning of a national war. Hull's surrender is to be redeemed. Let us, then, die arms in hand. The country demands the sacrifice. The example will not be lost. The blood of the slain wdll make heroes of the living. Those who follow will avenge our fall and their country's wrongs. Who dare to stand?"
''All! all!" shouted the men together.
What cause for wonder is there that such a leader should have won the admiration and love of his men and of the nation!
Among the many testimonials General Scott received for his bravery was the degree of doctor of laws bestowed upon him by Princeton in 1814, and strange as it may seem in a soldier, he was especially proud of this honor.
In 1823 the duel was still common and was looked upon by many as the best and perhaps the sole way 'of avenging one's honor. Andrew Jackson, at that time very jealous of Scott and open in his attacks upon him, tried by every means in his power to draw him into a duel. Scott was no coward, as we well know, but he quietly and persistently refused the combat, and in spite of the general feeling of the people upon the subject, so clear were his motives and so upright his life that he did not lose one whit in the estimation of the public. He was a terrible fighter when war must be faced, but like all truly great men he was not to be easily provoked, and always loved peace.
It was largely due to the efforts of General Scott that war was several times averted. In 1832 he was ordered to Charleston by President Jackson during the ''nullification" troubles, and so wise and careful was he that he upheld the power of the country and at the same time preserved the love and respect of the hot-headed men who had almost plunged the land into a conflict.
In 1832-1833 came the troubles with Black Hawk, in 1837-1838 arose the so-called "Patriot War" on the Canadian border which almost brought on another war with England, in 1838 there was a serious dispute over the boundary line between Maine and New Brunswick, and in 1859 came the threatening “San Juan difficulty," and in all these it was Winfield Scott, fearless,
upright, and wise, who preserved the peace of the nation when almost every other man would have brought on the horrors of war.
In 1847 came a veritable war, however, the war with Mexico, and Winfield Scott was to be the leader. As in the War of 1812, Scott, though a man of peace, believed when the conflict became inevitable, that the best peace was to be gained by fighting hard. In March of that year with twelve thousand men he landed before Vera Cruz, and after a bombardment of nine days the city and its great fort, the strongest of the nation, surrendered. The navy then took possession of the Mexican ports, and Scott with his army marched toward the City of Mexico. The country through which he passed was a mountainous land full of difficult and narrow passes, but Winfield Scott permitted no difficulties to stop him.
At one of the narrow passes called Cerro Gordo, Santa Anna, the leader of the Mexican army, had a force of twelve thousand men. Early in April, Scott appeared at the pass with nine thousand men and at once gave battle. Scott was completely successful and almost captured Santa Anna, who, however, managed to get away from the field, though he left his cork leg behind him.
Advancing once more, Scott one day in August gained five successive victories over his enemy, though his own army was vastly outnumbered by the Mexicans; and after the Mexican army had withdrawn into the City of Mexico, Santa Anna proposed peace. Negotiations were kept up for three weeks; but Scott, becoming satisfied that the Mexican leader was using the time for strengthening the defenses of the city, broke off the negotia- tions and renewed the war
About a week afterward the Americans made a grand assault on Chapultepec, a strong castle perched on the top of a very steep hill outside the city. The Americans had to climb the steep cliffs and use scaling ladders in erecting fortification and though the Mexicans resisted bravely and even attempted to blow up the castle, Scott's men gained the place. Immediately the American army moved around to another side of the city from which no attack had been expected by the over-confident Mexicans, and before nightfall two of the city gates were in possession of the invaders.
During the night, Santa Anna, with what was left of his army, fled from the city, and early in the morning of September 14, 1847, Scott and his forces, now reduced to six thousand men, marched into the town and raised the Stars and Stripes over the national palace of Mexico.
This virtually put an end to the war, and the heroic action and determination of Winfield Scott had once more brought victory to the arms of his country and credit and glory to himself as the foremost soldier of the United States.
In 1852 the Whig party nominated Winfield Scott for the presidency. His ability and integrity were not questioned, but a peculiar combination of circumstances led to his defeat. Sometimes he was easily led into making great blunders both in speech and action. He had become very corpulent, and his immense size made his manners seem very pompous at times, and some people who had formerly l)een his strongest friends rebelled against him. The North was not united upon him, and the southern Whigs were afraid that he was too much under the influence of Seward.
The consequence was that he was overwhelmingly defeated in the election, and his defeat was the beginning of the final overthrow of his party.
Still, whatever might be the political opinions of the man, the nation believed in him, and in 1859 he was made lieutenant general and commander-in-chief of the armies of the United States until October, 1861.
When his native state at the outbreak of the Civil War seceded from the Union, Scott still remained true to the nation, although he was too old a man to take an active part in her defense.
He died at West Point, May 29, 1866.
He was a brave and able man. He was honest as are but few men. Whatever his mistakes or opinions, people believed in him as a man. His greatest weakness was his extreme personal vanity. He was very insistent upon all the details of military precedent and etiquette, and in a democratic country some of his actions were likely to make people amused or angry. All men
have their weaknesses, however, and few have ever done enough to give them even the basis for the vanity which came to have too prominent a part in Scott's life.
In the War of 1812 he certainly was of marvelous aid to his struggling country, and there are many of his deeds and words which we ought not to forget. He never faltered before his obstacles, nor wavered when others were inclined to run. The greater the task, the more he roused himself to meet it, and if there is a better way by which to gain success than that used by Winfield Scott, the world has yet to hear of it.
Tomlinson, Everett, The War of 1812, Silver, Burdett, and Company, 1906.
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