WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1858
4,98
Why, sir, with one twentieth part of the money expended to support the Army, or even less, you could feed the Indians on our borders, and clothe them in comfortable garments; and then you would need no Army except to take care of your fortresses, and keep your arms in order; for I am sure you can never rely on a regular Army unless you make it like the European armies of hundreds of thousands of men. I call on the honorable gentle- man from Mississippi, who has worn proud and green laurels on his brow, to say with whom did he win them-with the regular soldiers? He gave years of his life to the regular service, but he won no laurels there that I ever heard of. The harvest was with the volunteers in Mexico, where he won rich laurels; and he wears them well. He purchased them with his own blood, and the blood of volunteers commingled on victorious fields. He cites the case of Washington. Why, sir, Washington began his military career as a militia officer under Braddock, and as soon as Braddock's campaign was done, he retired to the scenes of private life. He did not seek the Army as an advocate. When the Revolution began, destiny called him to the head of our forces. Nothing that I could say in commendation of him would add one laurel to his brow, nor can his civic wreath receive addition from mortal tongue. He retired from office whenever the necessities of his country permitted him to do so. Jackson, too, was called from private life to military service; and I venture to say he never mustered with a company in his life before he went into actual service. He knew nothing about tactics. Strategy rises far above your martinets and tacticans. It soars in a higher sphere. There is an alembic connected with it that is not mechanical alone. He could well direct and compre- hend who were to be his artizans; while he was the great master workman, the architect of high designs. Jackson was called into the field at forty years of age, and when the emergency was over he retired again to private life. He never sought office. He even resigned a seat in this august body, that he might give place to · a man, as he supposed, of more experience and enlightened views- General Smith. He afterwards resigned the office of Major Gen- eral in the Army, or intimated his disposition not to serve longer. He resigned the Governorship and Captain-generalship of Cuba and Florida, after he had accomplished the purpose of his Government there. He sought private life, or, if he occupied public station, it was for the purpose of being useful to the coun- try, and not be an incubus upon it.
Powered by FlippingBook