‘ cmm: wt 1; {B an act. Eil 9‘: =I &. THOMPSO irIVOCNOS aileS Ci2=13.,P1 wwmmsa The " DEMOCRATIC BANNER" IR publmlu-d weekly, on Wednesday mornings. 11(82 per unnum‘ —or 8] '75 if paid In advance. v No pnpcr run he diamnlinued (gmlosn 111 the up mm of the editors) umll ull urrmrn'gon nre paid. ”Advertisements. firm. at lho usual nuns. _""”is—o"ff RY. MO For tho Banner. LINES PUGOESTED “Y H" DEl‘AR'l'l'nl: PRU.“ “UHF. I mm lheo. brother. a! lhe cvemng's hour, Whnn we wnre won! in umson lo rmno ()ur gladsumc VOICOR u nln (‘.0d,10 prnilo Him lnr Ins lavors punt—and Ihon pray Hui lulure gmdunca. l have not lhe pnw‘r 'l o pmisc my Maker whim thou an. away. I muz- lhoo. brother, ntthc {esllvo hoard, Rnund which a happy fnmily wuuld men And with kindiy smile more great, Propurcdfifilx/othfin Moll and we to share; The may/no liifigor p ensure dogh nfl‘urd— [there All I ungl have changed B—Brolhér. thou art no I miss thee. brolhcr. on the! holy day. When we unlo lho home of God would go To learn at Hun \\ ho cumo lo bum-h no. And lrum tho rurse 0! sun Ina poop‘o [rec ! My thoughts do wunder ofi— and when I pray. My player's a murkery—l llunl‘ nl' than. INCOC (.‘urwcnsvnlle.Ovlohcr. 1846. l‘iic Defence ofthe Alamo in 1836. Letterfrom an ofliccr of the flrmy to his friend in North Carolina. communiru ted to the National Intelligenccr SAN As'romu nt; Hunt. "IX-mm August 111. lett‘v. i ()n the 14th instant [wrote you u very] bttel letter announcing my artiial at lllll‘ place. We are so lnr remoted lrotn the United States that Intercourse is almost prohibited. Matls are so irregular that no reliance is to be placed in them. anti private ”presses to Ln Bars. and thence to New Orleans. by nny sessel that “Hersh lurm the most common menus at transmis sion. This place is very diflert-nt from s— oy in the Republic as it was, and the lruu see and streets are not more extraordina ry than the habits and appearance of the people. The most interesting Object, however. in the vicinity. is the Alamo.— lt is now a shapeless mass ol wins. The chapel lsdelaced and broken down. and the. walls at the fort are is ,crumbling to decay. '1 ion: and the 01%?” hate al most completed what the ll' " icon srtillcv ty commenced, and the (‘.ohteum oli'Lex us wrll soon lortn but u 'tattercd and tnournlul monument ol its gm existence. ()n the 2M day at Ft'lJl‘lm/j',1836. San ta Anna entered San Auttyri‘o de Bexar, and tuck possession til'the town wtthout .firing a gun. The smallm‘firrison of one huudtetl and thirty men. ufilcr the com mand oi \Ytn. Barret 'i'ra’vit}, rettrcd as he advanced, to the Alnmh, on theloppo site side of the river, tlctt- mined tlidtfe to tiller \thutevcr resistttttre (:0 the progtess of the tyrant, that God on their'nvt'n'en ergies should permit. Flushed wighlthe conquest. so easily efiectetl of theLtOsvn, the Mexican General prepared for an im mediate attack upon the Alamo. lie or deretl breastworks to be thrown up on eve ry commanding point. and atttllery lobe planted “hers-set it could be most effect ive. One battery was completed on the right bank of the river by the 25th. and on this day the siege commenced. It is a dark and gloomy morning, devo ted to a dark and unholy purpose. Emily ting in the work of death upon which heal is entering. Santa Anna crosses the river.‘ the better to behold lite success of his de signs, and establishes his headquarters in a small stone building yet stnndtng'“ The signal is given. and etc the sun hrls risen upon the scene, the roar ol artillery lrom the Mexican battery awakens thetechoes tar and wide, and rouses from their slum bers the yet sleeping inhubitsnty‘.’ But the‘delenders ofthe Alamo" have not lost sight for a single moment of their wily , and remorseless enemy : they watch the studied direction of every gun ; they see the match lighted; they listen, breathless, us if even at that distance they could hear' the command to fire: and when it does - . come. and the walls of the citadel tremble . under the shock of the iron-hail, and this lra‘pments of stone are whirled alolt by the su den impulse, they send back a shout ol defiance, mingled with adischargs lrom their own guns, almost as deafening as the thunder of their assailants. Belore the‘ smoke rolls away. &the reverberations are lost in the distance, while the shoutskof the besieged still linger 'on the ears ofthe - besiegers. the canncnade is renewed, and . for seven hours fiercelycontinued upon ‘ the walla'of the Alamo. But these walls ‘yield no more than the spirits of their de fenders.' Tho'fire is steadily returned 3 end. though stones are shtvered around them. there are stout hearts and willing .hands ready to repair every breach. and to restore from the interior whatever mny have been destroyed from without. Earth . ts‘thrownup. every crack or fissure closed ' . .os [lstas loreated by the eager eflorts oi ‘ those who‘will permit no evidence at snc‘ csss to 'cheer thehopes of their enemy.— ~';The sun hss'slmost sunk behind the wes. _ . 'tsrn', pisins't'ehen there ts a pause in the werkvot' demolition. 'l‘heifiring cesses’ » Hoe. the dsy'byr'order ot the/Mexicaa'com; ' * ‘gnsndsr’; with‘his thirst tor-blood unsatis- fied. for not a single drop has fallen within the Alamo. Many of his own men have hit the dust, before the artillerits and rifle men of the tort; but thttflar they are un avenged. Darkness falls‘ upon the besie ger and besieged ; the former raise new entrencliments to prosecute the assault; the latter establish a watch lortho night. and endeavor to seek that repose which shall give them fresh vigor for the contest which they know will come tomorrow. The morning of the 26th dawns. and reveals to the occupants of the fort the ef fect of the midnight labors of their enemy, in the establishment oftwo additional bat teriea Wlliiin the Alameda of the Alamo. The bayonets of the infantry, crossed over the river during the night, glitter in the morning beams, and the plumes of the cav alry are seert waving on the eastern hills. to intercept the expected aid from that quarter. The contest is renewed by a slight skirmish between a few of the Tex ans, sent in quest of wood and 'water, and a detachment under the Mexican General Seams ', but this is a mere overture to the grand performance ofthe day. The thun ders of the heavy ordnance, under the (li‘ rection of Col. Ainpudin. are soon roused into action: volley after volley is poured into the fort, and answered only at rare intervals. by the shouts of those within.— There is no pause. no cessation. Still the can notiade goes on ; shells fly hissing through the air, and balls bury themselves within the ramparts; but night comes on. and the Mexican General can see on pro gress. Baffled but not discouraged. he advancesh‘is line of posts, and prepares with the morning- light. to enter'upon his task. The north w'nd sweeps over the prairies, as it/ynly sweepsin Texas: a \inriu) lullaby"to the stormy passions of thou.- contending frosts. The darkness is broken only by the feeble bla’Le ol a low huts, fired by the Texans, which have fur— nishrd a cover to their enemy. The flames curl upwards \th asirkly glare, throw a tiilut light fora moment upon the slum bering army. and expire. The reign of darkness and ot silence is resumed. ‘ 0n the next day the Mexicans appear inactive. There is but little firing on ei ther aide. Those within the fort. Wllll spirits unauhducd. and with energies Wea kened but not exhausted. are applying their limited resources to the purposes of defence. , No heart falters; no pulse throbs with diihiniahed power; no hand shrinks lrom the labor that necessity im poses; all is c‘ootidence and determina tion ; a firm reliance, apringingfrom the holiness of the cause; and the certainty of its final triumph. Sunday follows, but brings no rest to those whom God has cre ated in his own image. yet endowed with such unhallow ed passions. Perhaps wilt» it‘. the chapel oi the Alamo, consecrated to the worship of the Almighty, and dis tinguished by the emblem ot man’s salva tion which sirrmounts the dome. heads may be bowed in prayer to the God of. battles for deliverance from theirsanguin-i ary too: but that toe takes no heed of Sabbaths. Exclusive followers, as theyl proclaim themselves». of the true church,i they doom to destruction the very temple‘ they have erected for its worship ; and,i kissing the cross suspended from their necks. and planted before every camp.‘ they pbint their guns upon the image oil that Saviour they once made the tutelary deity of the Alamo. The fire at their ar. tillery keeps company with the minutes fithey roll on. Morning. mid-day. and .Evening are passed, yet there is no falter ing among those who are defending the 'ditiermopyla) of Texas. Another sun ri ‘ses and sets, and yet another: still the indomitable hearts within quail not before the unceasing efiorts of their enemy. ln spite of that enemy’s vindictive vigilance,. the little garrison receives trom Gonzalesi a reinforcement of thirty-three men: addi-: tional victims tor the luneral pyre, soon to“ be kindled by Santa Anna on the surroun-L ding little, as a human hecatoinb to Mex-i ican vengeance. 1 New batteries are erected by the busi gars, from every point around the missiles of destruction concentrate upon the Ala-i, mu. ' The circles grow smaller and small er. The final hour must soon come.— Provisiona are not yet exhausted, but the ammunition is almost gone. Water for days has been supplied by the daring cf forts.ofe solitary Mexican woman. who.‘ through showers of grape and musketry,‘ has threaded her way from the river to the castle. while her own blood has mark ed the path. She bears with her the spir it of her illustrious ancestors. stretched upon the racks of Cortez; and it is not the fear of death or the torture that can swerve her from her purpose. In her pres» once there is hope. and joy. and life. At each arrival she is hailed by the garrison as the guardian angel of the Alamo, and ”until it falls her efforts fail not. The siege has continued for ten days.— The Mefxiean General has received large reinforcements, and his army now num bers thousands. He has been unceasing in his etforts to hatter down the walls. but has thus far failed. The triumph is with Travis; but it to written in the heart'of his ruthless too that he must die; and when 'the cannonade is suspended "ith the 6th of March, Santa Anna has determined that the hour for the assault has arrived. During ten days a blood-red flag has been streaming from the spire of the church in San Antonio, proclaiming that no quarter» is to be given to the champions. of the Al amo—that blood alone will'appease the fury of Mexican malice. When the sun again goes down. the flag is nolonger seen, for the deed of which it was the sign has been accomplished. ' It is midnight. Stars are smiling in the firmament. and the repose of paradise seems hoverin over the armed hosts. and hills. an? nigh} which encircle the Ala mo. 'ow urmur rises upon the air. which gradually becomes more and more distinct. Lights move to and fro in the distance. and indicate some unusual move ment. The besieging army is in motion. There is no advance by columns. The force of the Mexicans is so great, that the fort may be surrounded. leaving intervals only for the fire of artillery. The place is girdled by a deep line of infantry. and these are hemmed in and surrounded by another of cavalry. if the first shrink. they must be thrust forward to the assault by the sabres and pistols of their com rades. Suddenly the batteries are in a blaze. and from their concentric positions pour forth radii of fire pointing to a single centre. Amid the thunders thus created. their own shouts scarcely less terrible. and the blasts of hugles. the Mexicans ad vance to the Alamo. A sheet of flame from rifles that never failed is the answer ‘tothe charge. The infantry recoil and :fall back upon the cavalry; their ranks .broken and disordered by the deadly fire ‘of the besieged. The shouts from the fort lare mingled with the groans of the dying ion the plain. while the officers are endea lvoring to re-form their scattered masses. lThey return to the attack. but the lesden .Slltnvel' which they encounter fellsthem to the earth by platoons. Travis shows ‘himself on the walls, cheering on his un ‘daunted followers. Around him are E~ .vaus. Crockett. and Bonham. roused toa ‘last struggle. for they know that their ‘doom is sealed. ln quick succession, ri ifle after rifle is discharged. sending hun :dreds to their long account. The Mexi l‘cans are again repulsed; they fell back ‘disheartened by the dead and the dying a .round them. The battalion of Toluca. lthe flower of the Mextcan army,is reduc led from fourteen hundred to twenty-three. .Men have become for a moment regard .‘less of their officers. and are almost delir ious, from the cries of anguish which no discipline can restrain. and which come from their fallen and expiring comrades. But a breach is made at last ; the disjoin ted forces. by the aid of threats and en treaties are rallied, and once more turn their faces to the Alamo. The firingin that quarter has for some time been grow ing slower and slower. Rifles have drop ped from many a vigorous hand. now cold death. while others cling to their weapons even in the agonies of dissolution. Am munition, too. has been failing; one by one the mozzles drop; the last rifle is loaded and discharged, and the Mexicans have gained the wall. Proudly conspicu ous in that awful moment. Travis receives a shot. staggers, and falls. He dies not unavcnged. A Mextcan officer rushes upon hiiri. and is about to plunge his sa bre into the bosom of the fallen man. when gathering all his energies for a last effort. he bathes his own sword in the blood of his enemy, and they die together. in the mean time the battle has been raging hot and thick. The Mexicans have poured into the citadel. like leaves falling before the storms ofsutumn. The conflict becomes hand to hand. Each man strug gles with his adversary. dealing blows with rifles. ssbces. or whatever missile may be within reach. The Texans are almost bu-‘ ried beneath the number of their oppo nents. The carnage has been so terrible that the slain are piled up in heaps. Death stares every survivor in the face. but still he struggles on. Crockett has been con-Z spicuous in the melee. wherever the blowa. fell hottest and thickest. He has forced his way over piles of the dead bodies ot his enemies, and has reached the door of the chapel. Here he determines in make his last stand. At one glance of his eye. he sees that the fate of the Alamo rests upon himself alone. Travis has fallen; Evans is no more ; Bowie expires upon a bed of sickness. pierced to the heart by a Mexican bayonet t Bonhsm fell before his eyes. and he finds himself the only living warrior. of the one hundred and sixty three who had been his comrades. Per haps at that moment the life-blood creeps to his Martin a natural impulse. but it is only for a moment. His foes glare on him with the fiercaness of demons. and assault him with blows from ssbres. muskets. and pistols. The strength of a hundred men seems concentrated in his single arm, as he deals out death to his rancorous‘and an. sparing assailants; Their bodies have grown into a rampart before him. Black ened with fire and smoke. besmeared with blood. and roused into phrenzy. he stands like some fabled god of antiquity, laugh ing to scam the malice. and the power. and the fury 'of hitenemies. .New tire flashes from his eyegand new vigor herses his arm. On his as ailants rash. but it is only upon certain esth. They fall. but their places are a ll 'supplied ; and so quickly, the dead seemed 'to rise up before him like ail-ed menlfrom the tisth of Carl.- mus. At length a hall from a distant rile VEMBER 6.1846 pierces him in the'forehead: hefalla back wud to (he earth. in the streams of gore which curdw around him. No grun es cape-his “[5O {no ‘cry of agony. gratifieu the implacable rancor oi hi. enomiu: he diet. and ting Alamo has fallen. , From the New Orleans Commercial Tunas, Oct. 21 Later (tom the Army. aasrur. on Tim s'rzaasart anvaswou. MATAMORASnMONTEREY—CERALVO. Bw. The steamship Galveston, Capt Wright. arrived here yesterday. from Brazos San tiago the 14th, and Galveston to the 18th instant. By her we have on abundance of details in our own correspondence. the Matamoras Flag, and the Galveston pa pers, of the movements 0! our troops un der Gen. Taylor. their condition. casual ‘ties, etc., etc... since the capitulation of Monterey; which we proceed to lay before [our readers. The followutg is the order of the day issued by General Taylor, af ter the capitulation of Monterey : Hawaiian-tarts Assn Ooournrorz. Camp near Monterey. Sept. 27,1846. The commanding general has the satis faction to congratulate the army under his command upon another signal triumph over the Mexican forces. Superior In num bers, strongly fortified, and With an im mense preponderance ol artillery. they have yet been driven lrom point to point luntil lurced to sue for terms ol capitula tion. Such terms have been granted as were considered due to the gallant delence of the IOWD and to the liberal policy of our government. The general begs to return his thanks to his commanders and to all his officers and men, both of the regular and volunteer lorces. for the altill, the courage. and perseverance With which they have overcome manilold dilficultiea, and finally achieVed a victory shedding lustre Upon the American arms. A great result has been obtained. but not without the loss of many gallant and accomplished officers and brave men. The army and the country will deeply sympa thize wrth the lamilios and friends of those who have thus sealed their devotion with their lives. a By order of Maj. Gen. Taylor: W. W. S. BLISS. Assistant Adjutant General. Orrrcua—Geo. A. MCCALL. Assistant Adjutant General. flmpudta.—The Matamoras Flag states that a Mexican officer who was in the hat tle of Monteray, says that “Ampudia was in lavnr of espitulating upon the terms first ofl'ered by Gen. Taylor—lo leave the city with their lives—but was wnhheld. and made to demand a more honorable ex it for his troops by the entreaties of his of ficers. who bssought him not to dishonor them by such terms.” This is more than probable. Texas Ranger3.-—Hsy’s regiment was distinguished in the attack on the Bishop’s Palace. under Gen. Worth, who speaks in the highest terms of the Texans, and says they love to tight better. can stand hunger longer, and endure more latigus than any soldiers he ever saw. The Texans are now all disbanded. and are on their way home. most of them by land through San Antonio. Col. Hays has authority to raise another regiment ol one thousand men. ‘ The relative jorces. losses, &c.-—We are assured that Ampudia had from [our teen to sixteen thousand troops—the for mer is the lowest number given by any‘ one. They had about fifty pieces of hea vy artillery worked with a degree of skill and precision unsurpassed by any nation. They were also in a strongly lurtified town. The streets leading into the town to the Plaza, wereall either _closed up with hea vy and strong walls of solid masonry. re quiring great labor, and executed in the most workmanlike manner.or these streets were protected with batteries of heavy ord nance. planted so as to eflectually cover NEW SERIES—VOLd. no. aemwnol. their entrance. The American army did not exceed 5. 000. and 700 01' these were reserved as n‘ camp guard to protect the camp Irom l'or ces of Mexican cavalry; so that we had but 4300 men in the engagement. Near ly all our most eflocttve ordnance had been lslt behind. There was only the Flying Artille/ry. which. in order to do much ex ecution, had to be exposed to a most dea tructive fire train the enemy's heavy bat teriee. Add tw'o 24vpnund howiters and one 10 inch mortar, and our whole force is given. This ahowa n disparity at more than three to one. and vast advantages n gninat our army in position. fully equll lo the inequality in numbers. The loss of our army is 561 in kill“) and Wounded, 41 at w om are omen".— Major Lear. 8d infantry. who was "99"" ed severely wounded. in fast recovering. The cows ’a loss is not known mill any lcertainty. ’lzhe Mexicans in Monterey state it at 1.200 or 1.400» s}" “’o‘“, ‘OOO is thought to be a more Prub'i"! estimate. An officer writing a description of the battle'olMontei-ey. to a brother oflicer in Matamoraa. sayn :» '"The Texans are e gallant set of boys-y -pertect dare devils.‘ They will do any-l (ling they are told to do. Gen. Worth admires them, and he is not the only one. They are as diflere'st irons our drsgnons as night lrotn day. Major Chevalier; one ofthe Texan. slicers, v asked to- go with Capt. Smith to etorm the firet heightw-l ' Nod aaye Gen. Worth. ‘1 want,oapt. Smith to command that party.’ ‘Thore ahall be no difficulty about that.’ aaye the gallant little major; 'I will go under Oop tain Smith.’ And this major in hat a [air sample of the whole body. 001. Raye has gained great reputation among our ot ticere. ~Wa|ker haa,won new laurela. . "Gen. Worth ia the hero of thin afi'air a he done the moat of it, and loat onlyabout 30 killed and wounded; while the main body ol the armv toat about 500. We got 85 piecea of artillery by the surrender.— At'ter examination, we found that we had not‘bogun the hardest ol' the work. All are aatiafied with the cooditione of the truce. which laate for aixty daya. except. perhapa some of the Texans." Matamorea.—Tbe Flag of Wedoeaday. the 7th. eaye. a bearer of deapatchea arri ved in thia city on Monday evening laat, en route for Monterey. only ten day: from Waahington. The ataamer Aid wan char tered immediately upon hia arrival here to take him to Camargo. He will no doubt arriye in Monterey on the. 9th. making fourteen days from Waahingtoo city.— This ia extraordinary‘ speed. and would. ‘ imply that his budget containa mattera of importance. Probably the destiny of Mexico. Whether she is to be. or ie out to be. Alter the General is done looking at them, he will tell ua what it ia all a ‘bout. We have heard on many diflerent :conjecturea on the aubject that we dare * not venture one ouraelvea. flfi‘oirs of Honor. -We learn that Gen. A S Johnron and othera would have come by the Galveston, but were detained in, Camargo by an unfortunate occurrence. ‘ A miaunderatanding had ariaen between Col. Marahall, of Kentucky. and Colonel Baily Peyton. oi New Orleane. The for mer. we underatand. had very treely cen aured Gen. Taylor for what he deemed to be bad generalahip or culpable neglect. He waa defended by Col. Peyton. The language finally became so warm theta challenge was given and accepted, and the partiea were to meet with their triende the next morning (Sunday) and settle the ditlerence by combat. Gen A 8 Johann acting on the friend of Col Marahall.— The ofiicera now here lelt Camarge on Saturday evening belore the duel. 0n the same morning, another duel 'al to be taught between Capt Shivora. who even muatered into the service from Texaa. and Capt Mouaaon. of New Oriana.— The cause of thin in said to be the inattlt lag department of Mouaaon towarda Sbi. vor’a company. It wae anppoaed that Mr Kendall. ot the Picayune. would act aa the lriend of Mooaeon. and Ltent'la cobs an the lriend ot Shivoro. , ' ' The New Orleana Picayune contain the following additional particulara : We are glad to hear that the report brought over by the McKivn of the death ol Col McClung. of the Miaaiaaippi vol ‘unteera. waa totally unlounded. An ol llcer who lelt Monterey on the 6th tnat. rays that he waa Improving, and it one thought he would recover. Hia lrienda will regret to learn that Lieut Dilworth. of the lat infantiy. haa died of hia wounds. Lieut Graham. ot the 4th inlantry, was still alive and hopcb were even entertained that he would re cover. He was so desperately wounded that his recovery would be deemed a mi racle. but he has great atrength ot ceneti’ ‘ation and his numerous trtende do not deapair. The great subject convened in the ar my continued to he the terms granted to General Ampudia. Officera and men were so aaaured that a few houre more fighling would have lorced them to an un conditional surrender. that it vexed then to have their prey escape. One expian ation attributes to Gen Taylor a generoue forbearance lowarda a gallant foe. It in urged that Gen. Ampudia made the.de tence of Monterey, contrary to the mah es. and even ordera 0! Santa Anna. Ha ving himaelf erected many of the deten cea of the city. and taken it noon hunaelt to protect it at all hazarde, hte rea‘rouato bilitiea bore heavily upon him. an alter the gallant defence made by hia army. lGen. Taylor waa induced to be lenient ltowarda him. put thiaia the reaaoniag lot others; we do not discard ora‘dopt It. KOthera any that Gen Taylor yielded with {reluctance to the opiniona oi the three el ‘ficera next in command. to when the lat. ter waa referred in a council of war.— This. too. is but epecliation. The aane subjectia touched upon in the lettera aub— joincd. to which we refer. The steamer Major Browuhae‘ lelt Ca margo to go up the river to aaeertaiu how tar the river may be navi able. and the 'lflag’ earn it in intended to eatahliah a military depot at the tattheet navigable point. an tee to have atom at a {lace a near aa poalihle to the route ta on by Gen Wool. marching Irom San Antonio into Chihuahua. At the last account- Ihe had reached Mier without meetiag obstruction. and ma proceeding ‘on up. An other on unheard to survey the n: 'ver and aelect. the; extreme oaviphle 9""... . '. . i 5"; "”34”, r l a The Picayune givea,’,aqgeateuded oar ,mpoadence Irom Mo‘at'er‘eyg ,; We have space this evening only (er tbatmrtion at it which ie furnished hythee’ditor‘ef that paper; Mr. Kendall, they. as eur‘readera El NO.IOBB.