Page:The War with Mexico, Vol 2.djvu/334

316 his. He was a born fighter and born leader. He could think best in danger and excitement. He could inspire confidence and win devotion. The fact that one so plain could be a paladin made even the ordinary feel capable of heroism. Like all undisciplined men of great force he possessed large reserves of strength, and when an emergency stimulated these, he displayed a power that compelled those on the ground to imitate and those at a distance to admire him.

On the other hand, most of the intellectual qualifications of the commander were largely wanting. To be sure he possessed a great deal of practical shrewdness, and he used moral force with a broad sort of calculation that enabled him to produce effects which a mere educated soldier could scarcely have obtained. But he did not understand the aims or the art of war, lacked initiative, failed in prevision, neglected preparation, ignored details, took little care to gather information, misunderstood the intentions of the enemy, and underestimated their strength. He preferred swinging an axe at a door to conducting the battle sagaciously from a distance. He would chat with soldiers about home, and then sacrifice their lives.

His "victories"' made him famous, but the true test of generalship, observes Henderson, is "the number of mistakes"; and every stage of Taylor's progress was marked with grave errors. Besides, "however brilliant an action may be, remarks La Rochefoucauld, "it ought not to pass for great when it is not the result of a great design"; and not only were none of Taylor's exploits deliberately planned, but he never understood the risks he was braving. Some ironical but loving god seemed to attend him. The life he carelessly, improvidently ventured was guarded; and insubordination, both toward the President and toward the general-in-chief, made him the successor of the first and the superior of the second. "Old Zack is the most lucky man alive," said Colonel Campbell.

Scott, however, was of course the pre-eminent commander. In war he felt at home. He "is a Soldier and a General from the ground up," wrote Consul Parrott after watching his operations. With the possible exception of Molino del Rey, the petulant indiscretion that he sometimes exhibited in civil affairs did not affect his conduct in the field. To appreciate him, "to know him at all," said Trist, one had to see him in the military sphere.