of fancy and infect
a whole military community. I do not design to be stifled under the
miasma of such, nor stricken down in my advanced age, without an
effort to convince my friends that I scorn to wear 'honor not
earned.' Your obedient servant,

"W.J. WORTH, _Brevet Major General_."

Following this, General Worth prepared the following communication,
and sent it to army headquarters:

"HEADQUARTERS FIRST DIVISION, _November 16, 1847_.

"_To the Honorable Secretary of War, Washington_:

"SIR: From the arbitrary and illegal conduct, the malice
and gross injustice, practiced by the general officer, commanding in
chief, this army, Major-General Winfield Scott, I appeal (as is my
right and privilege) to the constitutional commander in chief, the
President of the United States. I accuse Major-General Winfield
Scott of having acted in a manner unbecoming an officer and a
gentleman. He has availed himself of his position to publish by
authority to the army which he commands, and of the influence of his
station to give the highest effect to an order bearing date November
12, 1847, and numbered 349--official printed copy
herewith--calculated and designed to cast odium and disgrace upon
Brevet Major-General Worth; to bring that general officer into
disrepute with the army, to lessen, if not destroy, his just
influence and proper authority with those officers over whom he is
placed in command; that he has, without inquiry or investigation, in
the said order published to the army and the world, falsely charged
Brevet Major-General Worth with having written, or connived at the
writing, a certain letter published in the United States, and to
which he has been pleased to apply the epithet of 'scandalous,'
'malignant,' etc.; that he has made these statements to the world,
giving to them the sanction of his high authority and the influence
of his position, while he has had no information as to the
authorship of the letters in question; and when respectfully and
properly addressed upon the subject by the undersigned appellant, he
has declined to reply whether or not he intended to impute to Brevet
Major-General Worth conduct which he had characterized as
'scandalous,' 'malignant,' etc.; be pleased to refer to
correspondence herewith marked from A to E. I do not urge present
action on these accusations, b