(General Washington being the first) who held the
office of lieutenant general.

After the inauguration of General Taylor as President, General Scott,
between whom and the President there was no very good feeling,
continued his headquarters in New York; but when President Fillmore
succeeded, in 1850, he removed to Washington, and continued to reside
in the latter city until the accession of President Pierce, when, by
General Scott's request, there was another change back to New York,
where until 1861--with the exception of ten months of hard duty--he
remained and maintained headquarters of the army.

In 1849 there were evidences of discontent which almost assumed the
attitude of threats in the Canadas growing out of political agitation,
and General Scott was interrogated on the question of the advisability
of annexation by John C. Hamilton, Esq., of New York. General Scott
replied from West Point, June 29, 1849, in which he expressed the
opinion that the news from the British Parliament would increase the
discontent of the Canadas, and that those discontents might in a few
years lead to a separation of the Canadas, New Brunswick, etc., from
England. He thought that, instead of those provinces forming
themselves into an independent nation, they would seek a connection
with our Union, and that thereby the interests of both sides would be
promoted, the provinces coming into the Union on equal terms with the
States. This would secure the free navigation of the St. Lawrence
River, which would be of immense importance to at least one third of
our population, and of great value to the remainder. Although opposed
to incorporating with us any district densely populated with the
_Mexican_ race, he would be most happy to fraternize with our Northern
and Northeastern neighbors.

In 1852 General Scott became a candidate a second time for the
presidency, having been nominated by the Whig Convention that met at
Baltimore in June of that year, his competitors being Mr. Webster, and
Mr. Fillmore, who succeeded President Taylor. William A. Graham, Mr.
Fillmore's Secretary of the Navy, was put on the ticket for
Vice-President. General Franklin Pierce and William R. King, a Senator
from Alabama, were respectively put forward for President and
Vice-President by the Democrats. The campaign was a heated one. The
Democratic orators, however, on all occasions accorded to the Whig
candidate that meed of praise for his gallantry as an army of