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: ; rpiNTED AND PUBLISHEB .WEEKLY B J. R 0 W, " SOMEUSE' SOMERSET COUNTY, iPA.
77 TT'"' '. ! . , , , 14 -, -: i tv , , . -rrr-. r-7- : : - . - . ! ," ,r7' r -XlCrT- .
New Series.
- ; TUBSD AIT. nbVBBIBBK 9, 1847 ;
Vol; 5. I7o. 52
-
NTH
I I X "V i I I I 3 M III - H ' i v -v i ! 1 , t
I ' V :! ' t If J I 3 ' II IF 1 J 1 V-" 1 I I
.'I 1 i 11 v ' 'f i vri jj m 11 f ii mi 11 n irj; hi -i ! ri
, The New Orcans National wants the
President to follow the example' of . the
Kmperorof Rugsiato goto the ware,
and take command in person ot, our army:
in Mexico, ' '
FR03I THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
DespatehesfromM
.Cm ov Mexico, United States, 7
I September 27, 1847. J
Mk. Gales Seatox:. My dear old
fricudf I'm liftve yet, though I've been
through showers of balls as thick as hail
s'touei.' r I got your paper containing my
letter that 1 wrote on the rotrd to the war.
The let'ers I wrote afterwards, the guer
rilla? nml robbers are so thick, I think it
is. ten chances to one if you got 'em.-
Soino of Gincral Scott's letters is missing
in the sama way. iow
, . ,t ,
we re cot the j
city of Ncxico annexed, I think the Post
w
master General ought to have a more reg
ular line of stages running here, so our
letters may go safe, I wish you would
touch the President and Mr. Johnson up
a little about this mail-stage business, so
they may keep all the coach makers at
work, and see that the farmers raise hor
ce3 as fast as they can, for I don't think
they Have any idea how long the roads is
this way, nor how fast we are gaming
south.- If we keep on annexin as fast as
we have - done for a year or two past, it
wouldn't take much more than half a do
zen years to ge clear down to t'other end
rif South America, clear to Cape Horn,
which would be a very good stopping
place; for then, if our Government got in
ro bad sledding in North - America, and
found themselves in a bad dilemma that
hadn't no horn to suit 'ein, they would
have a born in South America that they
might hold on to.-- 1 t '
s I hope there afnt no truth in the story
that was buzzed about here in the army,
a day or two ago, that Mr." Polk had an
idea, when we got through annexin down
this way.jof trying his hand at it over in
Europe and Africa, and round there.
And, to" 1 prevent any quarrelling before
hand about it on this side of the water,
he's agoing to agree . to run the Missouri
compromise line over there, and cut Eu
rope into free States and Africa into slave
Suites. iNow,I think he had better keep
$tlll about that till we get this South "A
ruerica business all done, and well tied
p. It Isn't well fora'body lo have too
much business on hands at once. There's
no knowing what little flurries we may
get into yet, and there s always danger
if you ;have too much' sail, spread in a
iquall. ' IIowever,;l haven't time to talk
about this now,; "? -
.You will get the accounts of the'bal
tles in Gineralcott's letters, so I needn't
lay" much about them. : But it's been a
hard up-hill .wbrk all the way from Vera
Cruz herejahd I don't think my old friend
.ineral Jackson himself would have
worked through all the difScul ties and
done the business up better than Gineral
Scott has.' - But the killed and, wounded,
the dead and dying, scattered all along the
way for three hundred miles; it's a heart
aching thougnt.1 don't Jove lo ' think a
bout it. It is too bad that we didn't have
more men, so as to march straight through
without fighting, instead of having jest e-
nough to encourage the enemy to bring
out their largest armies
and.
ficht
tl.eir
hardest battles.
T 'Oneof the hardest brushes w e had, af
ter I got .here, was the. attack upon Cha
pultepcc.', 'I had been 'Into jhe city trying
Ho bring ;Snta Apia to terms;.hut, when
I fmnd it was no use, I come out and
told 'Gineral Scott there was no way but
to fight" it out, and, although I was only
the President's private, embassador,' I
didn't like .to 6tand and look oii when ho
. fvas so , weak-handed, and if hel would
tell me where te takehold I would give
him a lift. - The Gineral said : he expect
ed there would be a hard pull lotakc Cha
pultepec,and'as Gineral Pillow was plac
ed where he , would be likely lo have the
heaviest brunt of it, I might be doing the
country a great service if I would jine in
with Gineral Pillow, as my experience
tindrr Gieneral Jackson and insight into
military affairs woiild no doubt be very
useful, to that valiant officer.Z So I took
hold for that day; as one of Gineral Pil-
iow's-aids.;
When we come to march np and see
'ho wYtroiig tne' enemy s" works was, says
J, Gineral Pillow if is as much as all our
Jives is worth to . go right straight up and
etorm.that place in the face and eyes of
all their sruns; 1 think we ouht tofortify:
a little. Suppose we dig a ditch round
here in front of the enemy's works.' : At
hatthe Gineial's eyes ."flashed, and " he.
swore right , out. . Says, he." No, d n
the ditches, I've no opinion of .'em;-they
are nothing but a bother, and never ougut
to be used. -The best way is to go right
'into the enemy pell ' mell.": So, on we
M'e'nt, and Pillow fit like a tiger lill he got
.wounded, and then the rest of us thai
wasn't shot down ihad to finish thework
; up the best way we could. 1 -:
. The long and ' the short of it is, we fij
our way into the city of Mexico and an
iiH-xea . canta Anna cieareq . ou
t .thci
niffht afore wiih what troops. lie. had left,
,f 'id is scouring about the tountry to gci
to.iut uiore Piices
reidvT6Ti;s. u ai'mexi
WLtt he gets another place allVcady for
I
j the. ceremony nd gets it weil fortified,
3 and has an army 'of twenty or thirty" thou -
j sand; men in 1 the forts and behind the
j breastworks, we shall march down upon
j upon r'em with five or six thousand men
and go through ; the flurry. After 'they
have shot down "about half of us,' the
rest of us will climb in, over the mouths
of jtfieir cannons, and annex that place;
and so on, on? after another. ;
, ':. It is pretty hard work annexin in this
way:lut that is the only way it can be
done., It will be necessary for the Presi
dent to keep . hurmnsr on his men this
way;'to keepbur ranks full, for we've got
a great deal ot ground to go over yet.
What we've annexed in Mexico, so far,
is'nt but a mere circumstance to1 what
we've got to do. ,
"Some think the business is nt profita-(
ilo lint Jt'n rnli.' Konunca thr tiiun'nf I
uii u ik a unii untune uicy iau ill
. . . . 3 .
' nnpril in?n if fiis oirn nr r tr tinMArcfonrl it
"Viyn AAfr VUVIIq 14 J UIIUVIOMlliU
Upon an average, we get at least len to.
one for our outlav, any way you can nV
gure it up I' mean in the matter of peo
',ple. , Take for instance, the city df Mex-,
; ico.' " It cost us only two or three thou
sand men to annex it, after we got into
the neighborhood of it: and we get at
least pne hundred and fifty thousand peo
ple in that city, and some, put it down as
high' as two hundred thousand. 'Soine,
find fault with the quality of the people
we get in this country, jesl as if that had
any thing to', do 'with the merits of the
case. They ought to remember that in a
Government like ours, where the people
is used for voting," and where every nose;
counts one, it is the number that we "are
to stand about in annexin, and not the
quality, by no " means. Sor that in the
matter of people we are doing a errand
business. And as to the money, it Is no
matter what it costs us, for money grows
in the ground n Mexico, and can always
be had for digging. ''' ' 1
, There's a thousand things in. this coun?
try that I should like to telljyou about if I
had time; but things is so unsettled here
yet, that I have rather a confused chance
toT wrlte. So .L must break oil Jiere, and
write a few lines to the Presrdehl, but're
main your old friend, in all latitudes, clear
down;-to Cape Horn. - , r
u-, M A JO R. J A.CK J)p. Y N I N G , ,?
To James JT. Polk, President of the
;.5 United States,' emit all Jnnexed
J Countries. .y-2 l-:i "
''.Dear' Sir: I've done jny best accord
ing to your directions, to get round Santa
Anna, but" it is all no use He's as' slip
pery as an' eel, and has as, many lives as
a cat. " Trist and I together , can't hpld
him and Scott and Taylor -can't kill him
off. , "We get fast hold of him with our
diplomatics, but he slips through our, fin
gers; and Scott and Taylor, cuts his "head
ofl in every jtown where they can catch,
him, but'he always comes to life, in the
next town, and shows as many heads as
if he had ; never lest onc.t7' J4 haj . a long
talk with him in the city, nd pinned him
right, down to the bargaiur!ie--jifade Atrith
you when,. you let thim into TY ruz
and asked; him why he didn't stick to 4t.
lie. said he' did stick., tq it so far. as, circum.
stances rendered it prudent.
'But," says I, 'Gineral Santa Anna",
that asnt the'thing; a bargain's a bargain
"and if a man has any honor he will stick
to it, , Now," says .1, .didn't you ' agree,
if the President would give orders to our
Commodore to let you into Vera Cruz,
didn't you agree to put your-shoulder to
the wheel and help on this annexin busi
ness, so, as to make easy" work of it !
And now, I ask you, as a man of honor,
have .you done it !'.'.-; : y.-M i
"Circumstances alters- cases, Major,"
ssyi Santa Anna." When Mr. Polk and
'I had that understanding, he thought he
" needed a few more" votes than . he could
muster in his own country to bring him
into the; Presidency for a second term.
So we agreed, if I would turn over the
"voies of Mexico to him to bring him in
another term, he would afterwards turn
.ovcrhis part of the votes in : North A-
ra erica t$ me, so 'as to bring inejn nextj
time. But I soon found it would be
throwing our labor away, for, Mr.: Polk's
4 p.rt of the ' votes un his couhtry was
'.getting so imall" that the wouldn't'" do
much good to "either of us '.So I con-5
V eluded to hold on to what I had got, and
stick lo the Presidency of Mexico.",,,., j
- "Then," says I, "you aint agoing to
slick to your bargam, are you : r
, ."No," says he, "circumstances
!
. cases. -,-w 1 ;
Then I tried to scare him out of it. I
told him our folks would whip the Mexi-
cans3 all into shoestrings in little while.
Ami H maue uo ouus wucwei uc u iui
annexin or against it, .we , should go on
jesl the- same,, and-before i another year
was out Mr. Polkwould be President of
every foot of Mexico; for we should get
through annexin thFwholsibf it.! 1
' "Very'welV'sayl'hcgoonVtheMex-
icans like thehuslness they cas stand
it longer than -Mr.-PolkuCan; for. Mr
Polk will hava all the work to t do over
every year as long as he Jives, for there
is nt a placejn Mexico that will stay an
. nexed any longer ;thau jest while vou
are holdipg on to.it .. . . '
So you see there's no doing any: thing
Lwith Santa Am.'AVhai course itts best
to take, now sccmlftathcatptiVzlcn
' haven't time to give you my views about
1 it in'this ' despatch, but will try to soon.
Give mv love to Mr. Ritchie; ; I meant
to write him too, but I shall have td Avait
jlill next time. '"' m'.V''' '''
. 'Your faithful friend and private embas
sador. f
! r
MAJOR' JACK DOWNING
From Hie Nation a! Intelligencer. ' f
The Prospect a before us;
, Even since the: emission - of our. paper
t yesterday we have confirmation of the
determination of the Executive having
done nothing within the last eight months
but place the country in a more difficult
pass in regard to the Mexican - War than
it stood in when Congress last adjourned
not to wait the five short weeks whiclj , in
tervene before Congress ' will again be(in
session, bul to take such measures as, in
its high and mighty wisdom and power it
deems expedient for the permanent oc
cupation or Mexico! Truly did the or
gan of the , Government (the Official Ga
zette) predict, twelve "months before the
President brought on the war, not only
the war itself, but the1 "second Conquest
of Mexico.? Already we are so deeply
ill for it, that all "the attention of our Na
tional Government at this' moment is ab
sorbed, instead of in the propcr'affairs and
interests of this People, in , providing ' for
the final conquest and' gbvcrifmeht of a
great Nation, between, whom t and the U
nited States, when it pleased' oiir Presi
dent to go to war , with ! it, there 'existed,
unrepealed and iuir'unbroken. a Treaty,
the fundamental article of which was thai
"there shall be ,a firm, inviolableVand uhU
versal peace, and a true and 'sincere
friendship between-the United States of
America and the United Mexican . States,
in all the extent of their possession," &c
,The objects for which this Govern
ment was established have ;io relation ia
such a sjate of things as thisconquest and
proposed permanent occupation of Mexi
co, . ' The Constitution of,' the United
Slates confers no ciich powers upon Con
gress, much less, upon the Executive, as
those which the 'President has exercised
ever since Congress last adjourned, and
was indeed , preparing tT exercise whilst
Congress was vet in session.' ;,V '!jV i
ti.But,tnot to, transcend "our
present purpose,', let us 'introduce to pur
renders the evidence which' we now ; have
of the present designs' of ."the Exdeutivft.3
'P!....-...:ii u r'.. .i ' :.. ul r. ff -i
i ncy win uc iuuiiu ill nm ioiiuwui"
have frequently had", pecasioh to speak. of,
and the second of which '. s 'from a source
always much to be relied upon . . . .
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE BALTIMORE SCN.
Washington, Oct. 26,.1817rH
' "Sufficient intimations have been thrown
out in regard to the" orders' recently sent
lo Gen. Seott to convince metiiat he has
been directed 1st. to trouble himself no
longer about frOce's, armtsiieesV"ne'go
tiations, of protocols; i2d.- to leave undis-
turbed the shadowofca-' Government
Miow 'at Queretaro; 1 3d. to -'prepark tor
p rmenent" occupation, r)and for-tnui-
quillizmg the country; 4th. lb disarm
the whole population' of 'the-' cities iand
country on the road from IVera Cruz to
Mexico; and break up and destroy their
arms; and, 5th. io levy bontrihutions up-
onthe' principal cities and States.".
i j. ...... .. .. --is , i :',-),
CORRESPONDENCE OF THF. JOURNAL . OF
. 1 ... COMMERCE. ; . ;-i
. ; -T v Washington, October. 25.; j
"The Government sends frequent mes
. sages to Gen. Spott., . A.messengcr fxMr.
TasistroJ left this' morning with des-
patches for him.v I learn, from various
.sources, . that , the ( Administration .has
given such orders to Gen. Scott as will
prevent hhn from agnin offering or a'c
ceptin an armistice, or - inviting- the
Mexican Government to make peace.
The day has; gone by too, for offering
any pecuaiarytinducements to the Mexi-
canrulcrs,j or compensation for'tcrri-
Jvst at the jmoment of meeting j with
these consentaneous - vindications from
Headquarters of bur Government, we re
ceived also the New Orleans ,,"Delta" of
lha. 19th of . this month, containing a let
ter from its correspondent at he Head
quarters of our army' in the city of Mexi
co, under date of September I7th.. " The
"Delta" itself .always under the" delu
sion which, more fatal to the public wel
fare than its annual pestilence to indi
vidual health, seems to pervade almost
the,, entire population of New Orleans,
that i t will be not only politic but honor
able in the United States . to occupy the
whole of Mexico, , and .eventually seize
and possess as much of it as the most raf
pacious "annexationist"' wants testifies
to the intelligence of : its correspondent,
and to his opportunities of acquiring such
tcorrect-informationi as entitles his opin
ions to great weight. Thej views of one
thus vouched forr as-disclosed in the fol
lowing extracts, appear to us to: be, aT this
raamenCof the greatest consequence, and
we lose no time therefore in laying them
4 before ourTeadervand-tnUreatin; .ttieir
!e3rnestrateulioa:.td.thenir.-.' t
Irtrtrdcts frvm the x6rf(sp9ndcn( ctht
tracts, the first. of which .is ciTpreciselv e
qual authority with " the Correspondence
of the Philadelphia "Jjcdger, 'I which , we
-"Delta," writing jromlhe 'city if
, ' AJexico, Under 'dalt ?oJ -i1 Sept ember
i ' l7M."'' - irs- U't, -"-m.'1
"The attitrde of affairs by whtch'-ve;j
arc surrounded leave us'but prieof two aP
lei-natives, to 'wit: military occupation" and ,
goveVnmeiit of lhe'country,r or to fall back;!
upon the base 'of our operations, take m?
our boundary hnerand hold the harbors
of the couutry u ntil Mexico,-tired of her
ODDressed condition, sues for Teace to re
lieve her from the chains which bind her
upon lhe Gulf and the Pacific; annexation
of the Slates of Mexico,' Puebla, Vera
Cruz, ban Luis, Guanajuato, Guadalajara,
or any other of those popular States in
cluded in the line drawn from Vera Cruz
to" the Pacific, being- totally out of the
question, and one of the greatest fulficts
ever propagated. ' If we did annex them
the North never would consent to the exist
ence of slavery in any of them, and to allow
lliem all the rights and immunities Which
we as free citizens enjoy, - would bring a
. bout a state of affairs which ' would en
danger the existence of our own free in
stittutions, and so disturb the equilibrium
of the movements of our - Government as'
to malte us rue the day we ever put foot
upon the soil of MexicoJ The people
are totally and wholly uri prepared, by
habits,' education, and ' nature, i for exer
cising those high and important-duties re
quired by civilization and a free and lib
eral Government. - '; ' , 7 ry-'.
"The system of church government at
present exercised here would "have to be
admitted and continued, or we1 would have
to encounter a 'foe more formidable in it
resources, 'more powerful - in its combats,
tlian all the bristling bayonets, -glittering
swords, and death dealing artillery' over
which we have already5 triumphed. - A
war of religion is one of those wars' which
is never ended until -one or the other of
the parties is' exterminated," or so enfeebled
as to be unable to offer resistance; and in
a country so thickly populated as this it
would inevitably, be the result. There
fore, in view of things as they actually
exist, I take it for granted ; that annexa
tion of this section of this country is to
tally impracticable, and those who have
been its advocates in the ' United States-
myself, to some extent, among others
are ignorant of lhe difficulties'our Govern"
rhent would have to encounter, and the
endless trouble and exasperation it would
Icad'to;-: X" ' w w
- Military occupation and government
bf all the country wc' have conquered, to
my mind offers no fewer objections than
annexation.'- According to the opinions
of the persons in this army whose views;
by their acknowledged ability are entitled
to the most weight, it would take an army
of at' least one hundred thousand men to
occupy ; and garrison the different States
and military posts. II ow long would it
take us to get this force equipped and in
the 'field' The 'President last winter
called for ten additional regiments, (ten
thousand men,) and, although it was du
ring the short session of Congress, a por
tion of the Iroops have not yet arrived,
and those which- have come did - not ar
rive at the seat of operations until the
month of? August. Thejr were enlisted
for the war, under the excitement of ac
tive operations and a spirited campaign.
Now that the excitement! of the campaign
has ended, that the next session of Con
gress is a long one, how long will it take
us to throw into this country one hundred
thousand troops, when they '. know that
their life is to be the dull monotony of lhe
garrison? But admittiag, for the sake of
argument, that they could be sent here by
the expiration of one year, is a standing
army of one hundred thousand men in
consonance with the spirit of our republi
can and free institutions?. Would it move
with the same simplicity and . regularity
our old army-hast , -Would the military
profession i retain its present ability, its
scientific attainments, its dignity, and its
high character, by being so suddenly en
larged to bnefhundred thousand? I think
I may safely auswer, no! : Again: "how
would this lame army have to be sup
ported7. Will the people of the United
Slates consent to supply a revenue for its
support? Will they consent, to any fur
ther and permanent enlargement of the
public expenditures for the sake of hold
ing a territory from ichith they would
derive1 tery '' tittle benefit fof years to
cornel If ;we may judge of the aversion
of the people of the United States to high
taxation, high duties, unproductive expen
ditures of the-public treasure, I think I
may be 'safe iri cohclu ling that they never
will consent, to the support of a standing
army sufficient to'' garrison arid occupy
that portion we have already, and what
of necessity we would have to conquer."
"Let ns examine the' other alternative,
and see if our interests do not require that
we should fallback upon the; base of our
operations,. and,if "nothing, jnore, await
the disposition of the' Amerkan Congress.
, "We are here, and for the present isola
ted from the Government and the rest of
the army. From the" time 'the army set
foot on' the- Rio Grande " we have dud
nothing but a succession of brilliant vicf
tones we have penetrafe'd the very heart
of Mexico; with four different VcblurnnsV
and from eaclv point there has been a
trwrapha! -rcarch the : stars artd : tcir-es.
I ha"
have never as ret "julieicd a cejea,, . ;
; "The valor and superiority of our own
arms have been established beyond ques-
ttori or doubt Mexico has been humbled
and "degraded in tf le eyes of the world,1
while our own brilliant achievements stand
UP prominently as a precedent in the an-
naIs ot u,c world, to be. admired and
uuasieu ui .wueu.w
the actors themselves
shall lie mouldering in the dust. Na-
nunai auu personal amouion nas ueen
satisfied. The nation will' be proud of
lhe lroPhie3 and lhose who won them '
Dut with our successes
we have arrived
at the end of our ropei the, capital has
fallen, and there is nothing to offer us any
further resistance. The President, Gen.
Santa Anna, has abdicated the Presiden
cy, and lhe commander of the army left,
with a '-small' body guard, for parts un
known,' and i now in fact a ' rly ing fugi-tive-the
army of 32,000, which they had
when we arrived before the city, does not
now number over 3,000,, without means
of suppoit, and deserting , every day. Can
our army do any thing more could it be
expected lo have .done any thing more?
Now there is no new enterprise which
offers itself, and there is no Government
with which we can arrange our diflicul
ties,' . Therefore, I would ask, if we had
not better pack up our wagons as soon
a the sick are able lo be moved, and full
back upon the' base of 'our operations,
and await the action of our Govern
mentl Then ourwouuded arid sick could
be better provided for, and our. army bet
ter and cheaper supplied and placed in
good quafters-the volunteers sent horne
thc. regulars, drilled,-and the regiments
filled up and prepared to occupy the
boundary wemay determine. This course
of policy, iii my opinion", considering the
existing circumstances, is'; preferable on
more accounts than one.- It leaves the
Coverninent at home in a position to car
ry out its views with facility and without
delay.': It would leave the army in a po
sition convenient In point ot transporta
tion, to the occupation of our boundary,
as though it were a batrack in the Uni
ted States." ; - I
from hex-icq;-
i ,.i INTERESTING NEWS.
; We copy from the New Orleans Cou
rier the subjoined extract of a private let
ter, which the Courier states to be "from
a high source of military iu formation,"
and says that "every word of it may be
implicitly relied upon."" Besides reca
pitulating tfic victories obtained by Gen.
Scott on his way from Puebla to the city
of Mexico, -it gives the amount, of. force
with which he commenced his march, and
the number of lives lost on both sides du
ring the insurrection which followed the
entrance of our army into the capital:
City of Mexico, September 19, 1847.
Mv Dear Friend: At fast we are in
possession' of the capital of Mexico, and
snugly quartered in the far-famed "Halls
of Montezuma."
Believing that it will interest you to
understand the principal movements of
our army since it left Puebla, as I am con
versant with them all, I will relate them,
and you will find them among the most
interesting operations of : war that have
occurred duringthc nineteenth" century. .
When Gen. Scoll had completed his
arrangements and concentrated his forces
at Puebla in the early part bf August, and
when he saw the sudden disappearance of
the speck of peace which had been held
out to him and Mr. Trist, he at once de
termined 't move his whole available
force upon lhe capital, by which demon
stration he hoped to compel the Mexicans
to accept our offer of peace. '
Accordingly,' our advance division
(Tvyiggs's 2,600 regulars) took" up the
line of march in the morning of the 7th
of August; the divisions of Quitman,
Worth, and Pillow, (2,300 regulars, 5,
200 . volunteers" following in the above
order, and at intervals of twenty-four
hours. ' , ., . " : , "
We expected little or no resistance un
til wc reached the valley of Mexico, nor
did we meet any. We encountered strong
natural fortifications at and in tho vicinity
of Rio Frio. 1 But the enemy seemed to
hold himself in reserve lor the determined
resistance our army met with after pas
sing that region, midway between Puebla
and this city; and ' after we had entered
the vallev of Mexico.
'The reconnoissance of our engineers
and information derived from othersour
ces induced Gen." Scot to make his first
demonstration upon lhe Pinon, so called
a height very strong by nature and doubly
so by the science of the Mexicans, who
left nothing undone to make the position
impregnable. A further reconnoissance
satisfied Gen. Scott and induced him to
believe that the Piiion could be turned by
the flankj which was accordingly done,
and we retired from Ayotla, passed through
Chalco, and, after innumerable difficulties.
I reached San' Ausnstine, ten miles from
the capital, ba the' 18lh "August.- "
v""WorthV division was thrown forward
a league to Sin Antonio ori nar right, and i their quarters, a larg" body of '.ppems com
Gen. Pillow, ith Cadwslader's aid menced firing oo our iren from the ho-jse-Shleldj's
bnradirs. and Twirri' division? tons. "and a "pen end rttr fi-M ensued.
ioa our Ic-ft. - ' ;:,,
! v ,Worths divi
by the enemy'
we were tryinjr
vision was much annoyed
s guns at San Antonio as
trvintr tr lnrn thnt iiositton. whpn
a brisk cannonade was carried on by tho
troops under Gen. Pillow against the ene
; ray's batteries at Contreros. In the
' morning of the 20.h August, Riley's bri
1 rade of reiruhrs. snnnoriedbv Cadwab-
j der's brigade, assaulted the strong works,-
while the rifles stood ready to flank, and
at a signal one rush was nude, Lhe wsrks
carried, twenty-two guns fsome eighteea
pounders and O'Brien's 'guns taken at
Buena Vista) captured, and also eleven
hundred prisoners, sixty wagon loads of
ammunition, three hundred pack mules,
and eighteen thousand dollars in money,
besides killing more than seven hundred
men; and all this was done in seventeen
minutes by the watch, with a loss on our
part of only forty-seven men killed and
wounded.
Leaving our prizes, Shields's brigado
pursued the enemy to Tlalpan, followed
by all the troops under Pillow; when Gen;
Scott ordered Twiggs by one road, . Pil
low by another, and Woith by a third, to
advance upon the enemy, then in largo
force snd strong position (18,000 men)
at Churubusco, and the tele dupont near
bX ;7 - I "
Worth drove the enemy from San Au
gustine, who fled to tele du pont. At
these places on obstinate resistance was
made for two hours and more, when tho
enemy fled to- the city, followed by the
dragoons and light troops to the verr
gates, leaving upwards of three hundred
dead and one thousand prisoners, beside
a dozen guns and large quantises of fixed
ammunition. Our loss was abouj. ona
thousand and ' forty killed and wounded.
Here we-captured about sixty of our de
serters, fifty of whom were hanged last
week.
In these three fights we lost many of
thebest and noblest officers in the ser-
vice.-.-j
; General Scott wisely recalled the troops
as, by, entering lhe city, (which could
most readily have been done,) the authori
ties would have been dispersed, and all
chances of peace dispelled forever-
On the 21st General Mora, chief engi
neer of Mexico, came out, and meeting;
Gen. Scott at Colucan, made propositions
for a truce. The advance of the army
moved lo Misquaka and Tacubaya, and
on the 2 1th a truce was signed, and Mr,
Trist met the four Mexican Commission
ers, when negotiations were commenced.
During the first four days of the trues
there were so many palpable violations of
itt in stoning our teamsters, murdering
our men, receiving reinforcements, labor
ing on their forts, &c, that,' finally, on
the 6th September, Gen. Scott demanded
explanation, apology, and redress, or tha
reopeningof hostilities. Santa Anna hav
ing sent an undignified and impertinent
answer to Gen. Scott on the 7th, Gen.
Worth, with 2,200 regulars, assaulted the
mill of San Salvador, defended by tho
Mexican army, 10,000 men, commanded
by Santa Anna in person, drove the.whola
of them from the field, blowing . up tha
foundry, at the mill, taking six . guns,; a
good supply of. ammunition, seven hun
dred prisoners, and killing and wounding
two thousand five hundred Mexicans.
Ouross was about seven hundred killed
and wounded.
By the morning of the 12 th September
our engineers had made a reconnoissance
of every position; and, while Twiggs's
division was making a strong demonstra
tion at the San Antonio gate, Gen. Scott
had matured his plans to take the stron j
castle of Chapultepec by assault.
The 12 th was occupied in bombarding
this castle, and in the morning of the 13th
five hundred picked men, supported by
Quitman on our right, Pillow in the cen
tre, and Worth on our left, carried Cha
pultepec at the point of the bayonet.' At
this place we killed some three or four
hundredand took above three hundred
prisoners and an immense quantity of
ammunition. A .Mexican -.was killedisi
the act of setting fire to three mines, with
the intention of blowing up the castle and
killing every soul in it. Gen. Smith's
brigade joined Quitman's division in thia
fight. , RileyTs brigade was ordered up
from the San Antonio gates.
' Having secured ' our prizes, Quitman's
division and Smith's brigade (Riley '
subsequently joined) took the Tacubaya
road, while Pillow's and Worth's di
visions took the San Cosme road, and
pursued the enemy to the gates of the
city, which after some fighting were car
ried. At these places our loss was very
great, but it is not yet ascertained.
Worth's division dug their way half ii
mile through stone walla, took to tho
house-tops, anJ carried every thing be
fore them. ' Santd Anna, knowing that,
next morning we would drive him out,
evacuated the citv with all his armv; and
on the -1 4th we took poisesskm of tlvi
palace. '- ",'".'''
- On the morning of the 1 4h September
General Scott and . stafl entered the city,
and afar reviewing thi troops were es
corted to the palace.
A 5 the troops were abeut to move to
i 'vhi.h - k-rtutva'dsp aa-'n'jh,
ii