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Gen. Taylor and Gen. Scott.

The titles of ‘"Rough and Ready"’ and of ‘"Fuss and Feathers"’ were each, in their way, perfect photographs of the men to whom they were applied. Gen. Taylor was a man of rare common sense, a natural military genius, a heart as valiant as that of Couer de Leon, and a nature as simple and unpretending as a child. We don't suppose he ever was conscious of an emotion of vanity or self-esteem, and he worked off a great battle like Buena Vista with as little idea of immortalizing himself as Shakespeare had in composing his wondrous plays, or Scott in his great historical paintings. Duty was the pole star of Gen. Taylor; ‘"Fuss and Feathers" ’ describes the whole nature of Scott. Old Zack neither thought nor cared for the applause of others; Scott lives and breathes upon incense offered to his vanity. The great warrior of the Mexican contest, Zachary Taylor, who established the prestige of American arms on the line of the Rio Grande, and after Scott had nearly stripped him of all his regulars, won that battle of Buena Vista which annihilated the flower of the Mexican army, and rendered Scott's march upon the Mexican capital comparatively easy, has gone down to his grave, but still lives and will live for centuries in the admiration and gratitude of his countrymen, whilst Scott has lived only to survive his own fame; to disclose to a country which did not suspect it, the extreme selfishness, sordidness and treachery of his character; and to see in the Southern horizon a representative of the ‘"Rough and Ready"’ victors of Buena Vista, whose fiery sword will yet descend in righteous retribution upon the head of an Ingrate and a Traitor.

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Winfield Scott (7)
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