Before,  however,  this  last  dispatch  could
have  been  received,  which  was  dated  the
21st  of  November,  the  Executive  Govern-
ment had  waked  up  to  the  necessity  of
some  change  in  its  policy,  in  regard  to  this
war.  It  now  professed  to  come  into  the
measure,  apparently  with  entire  acquies-
cence and  cordiality,  which  General  Scott
had  been  urging  upon  it  in  four  several
memorials,*  beginning  with  one  on  the  21st

•  When  these  memorials  come  to  be  read  by  the
public,  they  will  testify  verv  strongly  to  the  great
military  capacity  of  General  Scott.
October,  and  the  others  following  on  the
12  th,  the  16th  and  the  21st  of  November.
This  measure  was  to  strike  directly  at  the
Capital  of  the  Mexican  empire,  entering  by
way  of  Vera  Cruz,  and  first  reducing  that
city  and  the  Fortress  of  St.  John.*  He  set
down  the  number  of  men  for  this  enter-
prise at  20,000  as  the  least  number,  and
he  proposed  that  this  force  should  be  raised,
including  volunteers,  by  adding  ten  or
twelve  new  regiments  of  regulars,  and
filling  up  and  increasing  the  ranks  of
the  old  regiments.  This  was  his  plan,  and
in  the  night  of  the  18/A  of  November,  the
General  received  an  intimation  that  he
might  prepare  himself  for  the  field,  in
reference  to  the  execution  of  it.  On  the
23d  he  received  his  written  orders,  and
immediately  left  Washington  to  put  himself
en  route  for  the  seat  of  war.
