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.