Press enter after choosing selection

From The War

From The War image From The War image
Parent Issue
Day
8
Month
May
Year
1847
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Wc havo before referred to ihe bloody btitchery of the urmrrned Mexicans perpot rnted by the Arkansas ragiment il) revenge for the death of one of their minibar, o, nepliew oí Senator Colquilt. - It is but just to Gen. Taylor to state tbat be manifested gre:it disploasure when made acquainted with the f;cts oftbis bu'.chery. Snch incidents, liowever, are inseparable from the nature of war. - The following graphic and touching notice of the afTair s from an eyewiliiess. "God knows how many oftheunarmed pensantry have boen sacrificed to alone for the blood of poor Colquitt. - The Arkansas regiment say not less than thirty have been killed. I think, sver, that at lenst twenty ot them have been sent to their eterna] rest. I rode through the chapperals and founda number of their dead bodie not yet cola. - The Torture', in every instancp, were composed and tranquil- lying upon their backs, eyea closed, and ïeei crossed. - You would have supposed them sleeping, !,ut fir thfi gory stream whicb bedewed iIir turf around them. In oma instances, alter the vital spark had fleJ, in the overflow of demoniac vengeance, the carbine haddashed out the brains of its clayey victim. Dea'.h, in all its horror?, I haveseen, and been familiar wiih frotn boyhood, and I could not feel the dread reaiity before me, until Col. B. andmysplf rode down tho "arreyo," to where, from the curling smoke, we 'supposerl the wnmen andchildren of thoss poor creatures were srercted We rode up. Fear and anxiety were depicied npon every countenance - the romen crowdod around us for protection - ftnd, notwhhstnnding they were not more tban half a mile from the scène ofthis murderous butchery, thpy were w'iolly gnorant of what had been going on. An old female, who looked as tho' gbe miglit be the grand-moiher ofthe whole, arlvaneel to us, and in n most deplorable manner, Bfüced us to send back her husband and sons from the camp, where they supposed they hid been takoo. I then told them that I fea re I their men had been killed. They soon comprehende ) my frors; nnd-the old roman asked us to leaJ 1 1 the dead bodies ; and accompanicd by two little boys of ten years of nge each, we set out for tho eceue of murder. Tlie first body we opproached the old woman exclumed was n 'caretoro,' - a donde eslud los nutres, muire de Dios, adone iremos". - where are the others? Mother of God, where shall we go1" We then led them to another body, that of a man about thirty years of ngc, v!io lay as tranquil as though he was in the swee!et sleep. The little boy, ïmpelled by that instinct which seems to lead us into trouble and difficulty ere it is rcadv for us, "utstripped his companions, and was the fir-t to reach tl: e body. Ile ndvaRcpdstendilv to its si(!e; gazed upon the the countenance which was half concenled beneatli the broad brimmed sombrero; folded his hands upon his breast, and looked with dreaming earnestness upon the bloody victim of ill-timed vengnance. The heaving of his manly liitle chest, and the silent tears tteaüng from his dark oyes, and rolling their scorching way down his cheeks, told too eloquent ly that the little fel loiv hal lost a friond. 1 sald to him in the most soothing tone I could command "Do you know that man?" - To which he replied, "JEs mi padre, carrallero," walked round the body; examined'the bullet in the side; lurned away from us, drewr his sleeve across his eyes, and without an audible sob or mtirmur returofld to the glen, where his mother, brothers and staters were to hear the tale of their desolation. No earlhlv power now exists to punish the perpetrotors of this horrid outïnge. Congress in its wisdom has refused tosanction executions in tho field for murders commitled here, and all that can be done is to send the perpetrators back with disgrnce. The army condemns the bloody deed, and but for the agency ofCapt. Coffy, of our regiment, whorallied his men and stepped between the victims and their executioners,seventeen others would certainlv have been killed, who were brought by him into camp. Had the Arkansas men, in the first flow of their excited feelings, shot down a Me.xican or two in retaliation for their murdered comiade, I could pardon, though notjustify it; the whoiesaleslaughter, I fear, will bring reproach upon the whole volunteer force. It was but the act of a few reckless desppradoes, who care neither for God, man or themselves." TheNew-Orlcans Commercial Times says: "A shell fiom one of our mortars passed through the dome of one of the churches and exploded on the altar, killing ten or fifteen women, who had gatliered there for protection. The greatest carnnge in Vera Cruz, we are sorry to learn, was among the women and children." Fighting and Religión. - We published the other day an account of tho sailing of threc companies of the Tenth Regiment for Point Isabel. We learn from yesterday's Courier and Enquirer, that previous to their embarkation, the
troops were drnwn up in a liollow squ are and ndü'ressed by Rev. M. Nash of Fort Hamilton in a most appropriate and foeling manner, after which he presented a bible and prayer book toeach officer, and to each squad of soldiers. The books were cheerfully nccepted, and Col. Templo responded in terms suitable to the occasion. This, though not qviite so striking as the services o thai tovvn of Pennsvlvania where each soldier was presenicd with a bible and a bowio knife, at the same time, is yet striking cnough. - TV. Y. Tribune. The Mexican papers contain a fnll and abiy drawn up account, by Santa i Anna, of the battle of Buena Vista, in the course of which occurs the following passage: "The bearer of a flag of truce nrrived j with a proposition f rom Gen. Taylor fori an exchange of prisoners, and forour sending forthe wouded who had rermined on the field. He also expressed to me thedesire which the Americans feit for the rcestablishment of peace. 1 , plied, in order that he might say the ! same to his general, that we sustained the most sacred of causes - the defence ofour territory, and the presevvation of jur nationality and rights; that we wero not the agreesors, and that our government had never offended that of the United Stntes. I observed thal ice could say nolhing of peace while the, Ameri-) cans were on this side of the Braro, ur j occupied any -pari of the Mexican territory, or Mockaded onr ports; and that we wpre resolved to perish or vindicate j our righ'.s: that fortune might not be ways favorable to the enemy, and that thoir experience of the 22d nnd 23 d should convince them that it could chango. I added, that the Americans ngeJ ngainst us a war of vanrïalism, ; whose excesses outraged tho'O sentiments ! of hunianilv whioh one civilized nntion oughtto evince towarda another; and that if he would gRi outNide of the apariment de would still see smoking, which was] tho fact, the dwellings of Ag'ia Nueva, ] recently a Souruhtng, though a smallj settloment; ihat the same vostigas of desolalion ma:ked thft route of his retroit; and that ifhs would g- a little fart'icr on, to Catana, he would hear the moans of wid nvs anc' orplians of innocent victima who had beensacrificed i without necessity.'' It is slntPtl on the authority oí Mids'aipman Iluger ihat the sliell which killed Capt. Vinton did nntexplode and was found to contain 322 musket bnlls, fill of which were replaosd and the shell forwarded to tht Captain'a family. The number o'' cr.nnon captured by our forcea li Mexico exceed 506, most of them very heavy pieces. Thcre werp captured at IfslackeJ together they would make quite a pyramid. One of Gen. Wool's aids wrote his faIher at Washington, afier the battle oí Buena Vista: "I went over the battle field aftrr the fight nnd of all the shocking and most hoiril.le sights lever witnessed, this exceeded. Hundreds of deaH, wounded and i dying - sorac wit1! tbeir hands, arms nnd legs shot off, and some torn literaïly to pieces by shell nnd sho'. I never wish 10 witness such a hnrrid and awful spectacle again. You could see the mark of a cannon hall through a regiment, leaving a column of dead showing the trice -of the shot." A late letter of Mr. Kendall to the Picayunc, says: "I have said bctlittle abo ut the evaetntionofthis place by the Mexicnns, on the29thult., bica 'se I have had but little time. It remindod me more of the departure of the Israp'iites than aught else I can compare t to; the long procession of soldier?, national militie, and people of all classes and sexes, they poured out of the walls of a city, set ofi'as ihw is, with huge antique-looking domes and othcr architectural ornnments. As at Mon'erey, therewas the same throng of camp-women, canying every conceivable implement of ornament and use, especially of the former, to say nolhing of innumerable parrots, poodle dogs and other absurdities ofa kindred nature. It is a singular fact, that the poorer the people are in every country, the greater number of dog9 they must have about them ; but in nu nation does the half starved population affect the animal to the same extent as this." On the 31st of March was published in Mexico the capitulation of Vera Cruz. - President Santa Anna issued an address to his countrymen, in which, among other things, he 3ays - "Mexicnns, Vera Cruz is in the power of the enemy. It has fallen, nol before the valor of the Americans or the induence oftheir good fortune. We oursrlves. to ourshamc be it said. have bro't this fatal disgrace upon our anns by our interminable dissensions. I am resolved to go and meet the enemy. # Chance may decree that the proud American host shall take the capital of the Aztec empire; I shall not behold that disaster, for I shall first Iny down my lifa in the stiuggle. y et the nation shall notpensh ; I swear that Mexico shall trinmph tf my wishes are seconded by a sincere and unanimous e ffort. A thousand times fortúnate for us will prove the disaster of Vera Cruz, if the fall of that city shall awaken in the b reasts of the Mexicans the enthusiasm, thedignity and generous ardor of a true patriotism. It will undoubtedly prove the salvation ofthe country." On the 27th of March were ilready assembled some troops at the National Bridge, under the comtmnd of General La Vega, and of the Governor of the state. Don Juan de Soto. Betvveen the 24th and the SOtb, two brigades of infantry and ono of cavalry rnarched from the capital in the direct on of the bridge, with their corresponding batteries, amoun'nig in i,ll to two thousand men. On the lst sf April, Santa Anna in person would set out from Mexico with 2000 more, to direct the military opcrations in the state of Vera Cruz, resolved, as he says, todispule the ground inch by inch, and die before he will consent to a pcace - his own words as we find them both in letters and in printed documenta. Enrol.nent of iroops is going on at various points. The armyoftlio North has returned to San Luis Potosí, where it remained at the date ofthe latest advices.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News