ment, dated April 26, alluded to in your letter of May 3d, not having come to hand. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Z. TAYLOR, Major General U. S. Army, commanding. The ADJUTANT GENERAL of the Army, Washington, D. C. No. 45. HEAD QUARTERS, ARMY OF OCCUPATION, Camp near Monterey, May 29, 1817. SIR: In reply to your communication of May 3d, relative to the staff officers of volunteers, I regret that I cannot make a very satis factory reply-much the greater portion of those officers having already passed down on their way to New Orleans with their respective regiments. You will have seen, however, that they were directed to report from that city to the chiefs of their respective departments, which will afford an opportunity of retaining such as may be desired. I submit, however, memoranda furnished by the chiefs of the quartermaster, subsistence, and medical departments, which will probably be useful, and which I approve. A portion, at least, of the new regiments of volunteers for the war have come into the field provided, with staff officers in some of the above departments. I write by this mail to Colonel Churchill, in New Orleans, desiring him to furnish your office with an accurate list of all staf officers serving with the regiments which he is mustering out, and their respective addresses. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Z. TAYLOR, Major General U. S. Army, commanding. The ADJUTANT GENERAL of the Army, Washington, D. C.. No. 47. HEAD QUARTERS, ARMY OF OCCUPATION, SIR: I respectfully enclose here with the copy of a letter recently addressed to the staff officer of Major General Scott, touching the condition of the service in this quarter as relates to the officers of the companies of artillery.* *See despatch No. 48. (Correspondence between Major Generals Scott and Taylor, No. 19.) I have to request that in the approaching assignment of graduates from the military academy, a brevet second lieutenant be arranged, if practicable, to each of the artillery companies on this line, but particularly those (C and E 3d, and B 4th) serving with harnessed batteries. Your attention is also respectfully invited to the condition of the squadron of the 1st dragoons, now with this column. The recent casualties in that regiment will remove from the squadron every officer now with it, except Lieutenant Whittlesey. I shall be obliged to retain them, perhaps to the prejudice of the service elsewhere, unless their places can be supplied. The assignment of a brevet second lieutenant to each of the companies will, to some extent, effect that object. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Z. TAYLOR, Major General U. S. A., commanding. The ADJUTANT GENERAL of the Army, Washington, D. C. No. 48. HEAD-QUARTERS, ARMY OF OCCUPATION, Camp near Monterey, June 8, 1847. SIR: I think it advisable to transmit, for file in your office, copies of the correspondence between myself and Major General Scott's head-quarters since his designation for the command in Mexico. Major General Scott's semi-official note of November 25th, 1846, is not included, having been already published, and I preserved no copy of: answer to it, dated December 26th. If a copy of that your files, I will thank you to furnish me with it. reply b The 1. les enclosed, 19 in number, are as follows: jor Gen. Scott to Major Gen. Taylor, dated Dec. 20, 1846. 2 fajor Gen. Scott to Major Gen. Taylor, dated Jan. 3, 1847, with enclosure marked A. 3. Major General Scott to Major General Taylor, dated January 6, 1847. 4. Major General Taylor to Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott, dated January 15, 1847. 5. Major General Taylor to Major General Scott, dated January 15, 1847. 6. Major General Taylor to Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott, dated January 26, 1847. 7. Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott to Major General Taylor, dated January 25, 1847. 8. Major General Scott to Major General Taylor, dated January 26, 1847. 9. Major General Taylor to Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott, dated February 7, 1847. 10. Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott to Major General Taylor, dated February 5, 1847. 11. Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott to Major General Taylor, dated March 1, 1847. 12. Major General Taylor to Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott, dated February 13, 1847. 13. Major General Taylor to Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott, dated March 1, 1847. 14. Major General Taylor to Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott, dated March 20, 1847. 15. Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott to Major General Taylor, dated March 17, 1847. 16. Major General Taylor to Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott, dated April 16, 1847. 17. Major General Scott to Major General Taylor, dated April 24, 1847. 18 Major General Taylor to Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott, dated May 16, 1847. 19. Major General Taylor to Lieut. and A. D. C. Scott, dated May 23, 1847. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Z. TAYLOR, Major General U. S. A., commanding. The ADJUTANT GENERAL of the Army, [No. 1.] Washington, D. C. HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, New Orleans, December 20, 1846. SIR: I enclose, herewith, a copy of a semi-official letter, which I addressed to you from New York the 25th ultimo. A tedious passage only brought me to this place yesterday, and I now write by a safe conveyance, Captain Montgomery, who sails I shall follow the day after to-morrow, in the in an hour or two. steamship Alabama. The particular expedition I am to conduct is destined against Vera Cruz, and through it, the castle of San Juan de Ulloa, so as to open, if we are successful, a new and shorter line of operations upon the capital of Mexico. The first great difficulty is, to get together in time, and afloat off the Brazos, a sufficient force to give us a reasonable prospect of success before the usual period, say the end of March, for the return of the black vomit on the coast of Mexico. I have supposed that 15,000 land troops, including five of regulars, and the co-operation of the blockading squadron, desirable, if not absolutely necessary; but am now inclined to move forward to the attack, should I be able to assemble the 5,000 regulars, and, say, three of volunteers. Of the new regiments of volunteers called for from States, this side of Texas, I can hardly hope that more than four will reach the Brazos before the 15th of the next month, the day I have appointed for that general rendezvous; and I have supposed that the descent ought to be made, in sight of Vera Cruz, at an early day in February. On all those points, and others connected with the invasion of Mexico, on this side of the continent, your advice is invited, and will be highly acceptable. Perhaps you may be able to meet me on the Rio Grande, say at Camargo, or lower down the river, and I shall send an officer to you at an early day, who will be able to communicate my views to you in greater detail. To make up the force for the new expedition, I foresee that I shall, as I intimated in my letter, of which I enclose a copy, be obliged to reduce you to the defensive, at the moment when it would be of the greatest importance to the success of my expedition that you should be in strength to manœuvre offensively upon San Luis de Potosi, &c. It is not known that Brigadier General Wool's division has yet joined you, but it is supposed that he is already on your line of operations. This letter is written in haste, to enable you to prepare the troops to be detached from your general command. Including the regulars and volunteers at Tampico, or on their way thither, I may now say that I shall want from you, say Worth's division of regulars, made up to 4,000 men, two field batteries, say Duncan's and Taylors, and 500 regular cavalry, beside 500 volunteer cavalry, and as many volunteer foot as you can possibly spare, leaving you a sufficient force to defend Monterey and maintain your communications with Camargo, the mouth of the Rio Grande, and Point Isabel. The whole of this force will be needed at the latter points by the middle of January. Until I can communicate with you again, I forbear further details, and remain, with the highest respect, your most obedient servant, WINFIELD SCOTT. P. S.-Troops at Tampico will be, perhaps, in a more favorable position for embarkation, as a part of the Vera Cruz expedition, than if they were at Point Isabel. I propose to leave but a small garrison at Tampico. Major General Z. TAYLOR, U. S. Army, commanding, &c., &c. A true copy, received at Victoria, January 16, 1847. W. S. W. W. S. BLISS, A. A. G. [No. 2.] HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, SIR: I received here, soon after my arrival to-day, your letter of the 26th ultimo, acknowledging mine to you of November 25th. I am sorry that mine of the 20th ultimo had not been received by you, as it would, I think, have brought you back to Monterey. As it is, I am much embarrassed by your great distance from me. That circumstance, and the extreme pressure of time, has thrown me upon the necessity of giving direct instructions, of a very important character, to your next in command. Please see, herewith, a copy of my letter to Major General Butler of this date. Should you be back at Monterey in time, you will consider it addressed to yourself. A part of it I beg you to carry into execution at Victoria, or wherever else you may be. I allude to the concentration at Tampico of the troops which marched with Major General Patterson from Matamoras, those under Brigadier General Quitman from Monterey, as well as Brigadier General Twiggs's brigade, which marched with you, all, as I understand, upon Victoria. Should you deem a garrison at the latter place indispensable, you will please leave one, and also reserve a sufficient escort for your return to Monterey, or other point in this direction. I will, on my_arrival there, determine the strength of the garrison to be left at Tampico; but shall be glad to receive your suggestions on this point, as well as others. My letter to Major General Butler, herewith, is so full, that I have but little to add, even if time permitted. You will consider yourself as continued in the command you have so long and so honorably held. I shall not, beyond the neces sities of the service, interfere with you. Your reports will be addressed to me at the Brazos, or Tampico, until I shall be farther down the coast of Mexico; I mean special, not ordinary reports. They will, when necessary, be forwarded by me to Washington. After I may be supposed south of Tampico, you will resume your general correspondence with the adjutant general of the army, at the seat of government, and report to me, specially, such matters as may be of common interest to our two lines of operations, and I shall reciprocate. Our correspondence with each other ought, however, to be full, and as rapid as circumstances may permit. Should I succeed in taking Vera Cruz, and through it, its castle, the new line of operations upon the capital of Mexico will be opened. By that time, say towards April, we may both, I hope, be sufficiently reinforced to advance equally, and to meet somewhere near the goal; which junction, I think, cannot fail to enable us to dictate an armistice that will insure a satisfactory treaty of peace. While engaged in attacking the harbor of Vera Cruz, I regret, no less on your account than my own, that you will not be in strength to manoeuvre offensively upon San Luis de Potosi, and points beyond. It would greatly favor my enterprise, and your own inclinations; but I cannot, on account of the near approach of the vomito, wait for the new troops (regulars, I hope) which Congress may give us. Hence I am compelled, by diminishing your forces, to reduce you, for a time, to the strict defensive. As I have heretofore said, you can afford, and the common service requires it. |