before specifically stated, and to which I alluded in my note of yesterday.

In your paper of August 24, toward the close, you say that you proposed the joint attack on San Antonio, in front and rear, and sent to me a message advising that attack; probably through Lieutenant Ripley, your aid-de-camp. I remember to have met Mr. Ripley the morning of the 20th, (August,) but before meeting him I had sent back General Worth with one of his brigades, then nearly up with the mound we had observed the operations from, the evening of the 19th, with instructions as soon as he (Worth) should see our troops approaching San Antonio by the rear, to attack that place in front, and, at the same time, to turn it by its right. Hence the instructions I gave you at Coyoacan, the 20th, after previously sending Captain Lee, engineer, supported by a squadron of horse and the rifle regiment, to give the concerted signal to Worth of the approach upon the rear of San Antonio. That part of your report, therefore, is unjust to me, and seems, without intending it, I am sure, to make you control the operations of the whole army, including my own views and acts.

I think you also in error in stating that the troops at Contreras, in the morning of the 20th, executed the precise plans and views laid down, by you, for their government the evening before.

In haste, permit me to repeat, once more, that I have, from my first meeting with you, been anxious, from a high opinion of your head and heart, your intelligence, honor, zeal, and valor, to win your esteem and confidence, on any terms consistent with justice and honor, in which sentiments,

MY DEAR GENERAL: I desired much to have seen you in person, to have explained what I must attempt to do by this note. My order to Colonel Morgan to support General Cadwalader at Contreras, was borne and delivered to that officer by Captain Hooker, who returned to my position on the hill, and was then by me sent to receive and conduct you to my position, as the one most favorable for observing the movements of the contending armies. When you came up, that regiment had commenced the movement, and had nearly reached the corner of the field, while the rear had scarcely got in motion. On your arrival you asked me what corps it was. I replied, and told you my order in regard to it, and asked you if it was proper. You replied, it was. In this recollection of mine, I am fully and clearly sustained by Captain Hooker, whose recollection I have consulted, without giving him any reasons for

so doing.

The officer by whom my request for your authority to proceed

round the valley and strike San Antonio in rear was sent, was Lieutenant Davis. I received for answer your approval of the suggestion at San Angel, and halted the command at Coyoacan under orders delivered to me by Mr. Lay. I now learn from your note that you had made the order prior to my application, and have accordingly so stated in my report.

The order to my command to advance after the fall of Chapultepec, was given before you arrived at that place, and was given upon the special application of General Quitman in person, and Mr. Ripley was engaged in endeavoring to carry it into effect when you reached the hill, and a portion of my command had actually left the place before your arrival. I know I was unable to proceed with my command, but as I had not surrendered it, I thought I had a right, and accordingly had ordered it forward. I am aware that after your arrival you did repeatedly order the troops then there to move forward. I had given no orders to Colonel Clarke's brigade, for the reason that as they were only sent forward as a Teserve in the assault upon Chapultepec, I did not conceive myself authorised to give that command any orders after the fall of that place. I am aware that you gave the order to the 15th infantry to garrison Chapultepec. This explanation of facts I deem due to myself, and to your opinion of my motives; and as I could not make it to you personally, (as I was anxious to do,) I now here state it. I have altered my report, however, in all the particulars suggested by you, except the last. I have done so in deference to your understanding of the facts, as I could well conceive their bearing might be misapprehended by the public, and the changes. suggested, if not made, might tend in some degree to withhold. from you the measure of justice and merit to which I am fully persuaded you are justly entitled in all these most brilliant operations. I have not changed the report in the last particular indicated in your second note, and I do not see that that statement in my report can, in any possible degree, affect you; and knowing that the movement of the next morning did carry out my original orders to General Twiggs, and as it would place me in the awkward position of having gone into battle without any order of battle, or the forces in the position of having disregarded my orders, I ask your indulgence in permitting my report to stand unaltered as to that statement. I freely confess myself indebted to your kindness for whatever reputation I may have acquired in this valley, and I therefore feel it my duty unhesitatingly to waive my recollections of the facts in deference to yours and to your kindness to me. So far from feeling any wish in my heart to withhold one particle of merit from. him who deserves so much of gratitude at my hands, and of honor from his country, it seems that, in my eagerness to testify to the world my sense of what was due you, that I committed, in my first eport, an impropriety.

I thank you, general, for the kind and flattering terms in which you have been pleased in your note to speak of my conduct. To serve my country with fidelity has been my earnest desire and constant effort. In doing so, to know that my conduct has received.

the approval of my chief, is next in degree to the satisfaction of having done my duty to my country.

Permit me here to reciprocate the kind feelings and the friendship which you have expressed towards myself, with the assurance that in my friendships I am as steadfast as ardent.

P. S. I omitted to explain my statement relating to the order to the batteries. I recollect distinctly that the heavy batteries being silenced by your order, was the signal for the movement of myself and General Quitman. Some fifteen minutes before I ordered my command to advance, General Quitman had sent me word by General Shields's aid-de-camp, Mr. Davis, that he was ready to move. I was not quite ready. I made all my dispositions, and the heavy batteries were still firing. The hour, 8 o'clock, had arrived, and as I concluded there was some misapprehension of your order as to the signal, and as both commands were ready for the movement, I sent over Lieutenant Beauregard to order the batteries to cease firing. In doing so, I did not dream of interfering with those bat teries, but thought myself carrying into effect your own wishes and orders of the previous night. But in my report I felt it my duty to conceal nothing from you, and I therefore made the statement of what I had done.

All this I would have said in my report, but for my wish to condense my report as much as possible. I have qualified my report, however, confining my statement to my own batteries, &c.

Truly, &c.,

G. J. P.

HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY,
Mexico, October 4, 1847.

SIR: I have just received your second note, dated (probably by mistake) yesterday, on the subject of your two reports respecting the operations of the forces under your immediate command on the 19th and 20th of August, and the 12th and 13th of September.

The discrepancies between your memory and mine, respecting those operations, are so many and so material, that I regret that you have made any alteration in either report at my suggestion. Having, however, made several, more, it would seem, to oblige me than from any conviction on your part of error in the reports, I shall, as soon as I can, forward them to the War Department, with my two notes to you and your two in reply; and here, I suppose, all further correspondence between us on the subject ought to

cease.

I have the honor to remain, &c.,

To Major General PILLOW.

WINFIELD SCOTT.

[Papers forwarded by Major General Scott, October 27, 1847.]

HEAD QUARTERS, VOLUNTEER BRIGADE,
Puebla, May 29, 1847.

SIR: I this morning received orders from general head-quarters, establishing orderly hours, and thus announcing to me officially the presence and command of the general-in-chief.

Since the receipt of these orders, I have been informed that the regiments heretofore under my command have received direct orders from Brevet Major General Worth, and have been paraded in readiness to march or to fight under his immediate orders, without any information, intelligence, or orders of any kind having been communicated to me. Finding Colonel Burnett's regiment under arms, without my authority, I ordered him to dismiss the men to their quarters, but to keep them in readiness to form in case of necessity. Having, however, in the mean time received information from you, through my aid, Lieutenant Lovell, that the order to parade the regiment was sanctioned by the authority of the generalin-chief, I have countermanded my directions to Colonel Burnett, and left him subject to the former order he had received from General Worth.

If these measures have been taken under the authority of the general-in-chief, I consider myself stripped of my command. This evening I have received an order from Brevet. Major General Worth "to detail a company for guard at General Scott's headquarters." You will readily perceive the very embarrassing circumstances in which I am placed, and the necessity I am under, however reluctantly, to trespass upon the time of the general-inchief, to ask his further orders, to extricate me from these embarrassments.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. A. QUITMAN,
Major General U. S. Army.

Lieut. H. L. SCOTT, A. A. A. G.,
Head-quarters of the Army, Puebla.

See written reply.

W. S.

PUEBLA, May 30, 1847.

SIR: I have heretofore enclosed to your address two letters, the former dated at this place, May 16th, the latter dated yesterday, the receipt of neither of which has been acknowledged. Supposing that the former may have been intercepted in its transmission, I enclose a copy. The latter, I am informed, was handed to you. I had determined to await the leisure of the general-in-chief for an answer to these letters, before making application to him for a command suited to my rank. In the mean time I have this day received general orders No. 162, the second paragraph of which, in

effect, assigns me to the command of the two regiments of volunteers, now here in the field. It is but due to the general-in-chief to state, that I regard myself as senior officer under him, unless Brevet Major General Worth has been assigned to duty, according to his brevet rank, by the President, of which I am not informed. Under the order alluded to, my command will consist of but two regiments, while my juniors in rank, entitled only to brigades, are in command of divisions consisting of five and six regiments each, and this army would present the singular spectacle of brigadier generals commanding divisions, colonels and lieutenant colonels brigades, and a major general commanding less than a brigade.

I will not, at this time, present my views of the humiliating position in which such a distribution of the forces would place me, but I earnestly appeal to the sense of justice of the general-inchief, and to his known respect for the institutions and laws of our country, the common source of the power and rights which he as well as I possess, to assign to me a command in the army proportioned to my rank.

I have the honor to be, with the highest respect, your obedient servant,

J. A. QUITMAN, Major General U. S. A.

Captain H. L. Scorт, A. A. A. General,
Head-quarters army.

HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY,
Puebla, May 31, 1847.

SIR: I have just received your letter of yesterday, enclosing a copy of one dated the 16th instant, which, as you have supposed, miscarried.

I also received, the night before last, your letter of the 29th instant, which I considered as substantially answered by my order of yesterday. Some confusion was unavoidable under the circumstances of my arrival, the consequent change in the general command, and the false alarm of the 29th. It takes a commander several days to learn the distribution of the troops, made before his arrival, the approaches the enemy may avail himself of, the points of defence, &c., &c. Being much indisposed, I was slow in acquiring that knowledge, and in the mean time I left much power in the previous commander of the advanced corps.

Be

I regret that you have addressed me the letter of the 30th. ing much occupied with the ordinary business of the army, and the high duties of the campaign, with all of which I should be happy to make you acquainted, if you would call, I have no leisure for a laborious correspondence with the officers whom I have the honor to command, and who are near me.

I have heretofore announced to this army, in orders, and reminded you by letter, that Brevet Major General Worth was assigned to duty here in Mexico according to his brevet rank.