The Express.
London, England, 1849-01-09 00:00:00

L.I27IR4TURE.

A Canipa4pe iss New Mexico with Colonel DonipAan. 13y
F. S. EDWARDS, a Vulunteer. Hodson.
This little narrative is exceedingly spirited and in-
tweeting. The tale of march and battle, of foray and
watch, is told wish the gusto of a knightly chronicler
of the middle ages. The writer wields the pen as
fesrleesly us the sword—and spares the fault of
neither friend nor foe. The frankness, of the book is
its cisarni and its value. It glosses over no vice—at-
tempts to conceal no weakness. The absurdities of
the commander are dwelt upon as freely as the
ignorant eacities of the Mexicans, and the merciless
cruelties of the Apiche Indians.
On two points of importance Mr. Edwards's narra-
tive throws some glimpses of new light—that is, on
the constitution and character of those impromptu
armies of the American republic whose martial deeds
have won the applause and admiration even of mil-
tary Europe; and on the nature of the surface, and
quality of the existing population of the coun:ries
through which the adventurs.us column fought its
way. Our knowledge of these subjects is not so com-
plete that we can afford to dispense with any fresh
revelations—from whatever quarter they may come ;
and these are unquestionably authentic. Europe is
especially interested just now in the question of the
cheap defence of maims: when the United States
have been pointed to as an instance of twenty mil-
lions of people with a permanent army of 7,500
men—the amount of the peace establishment
—it has been usual to retort that the
country was weak, that its militia would
not fight, and so forth. The Mexican war has dis-
proved this, if it have done nothing else. We shell
bear no more of the military ws &knees, and poverty
of defence, of this " nation without a lute standing
army." Whatever comes of it we can no longer
laugh at that return of 1,300,000 rat n which the
statistics of the union represent as armed and trained
for the defence of their homes and honour. A single
regiment of such like volunteers left the banks of the
Missouri, traversed the great prairies lying between
the inhabited part of the United States and the White
Mountains, entered New Mexico, occupied Santa Fe
and the fertile valley of the Taos, marched southward
along the Sacramento, on the banks of which river
(now invaded by hosts of gold finders from
California) they won a notable victory over
!randy superior numbers, conquered the large country
of Chihuahua, and finally returned to their own states
by way of the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans.
They marched several thousands of miles, conquered
two fine provinces, fought three battles—without a
cent of pay, with no regular commissariat, with no
assistance from any quarter, in a poor and hostile
country, covered with enormous desert tracts., and,
indeed, surrounded by the most formidable difficulties.
The Mexican campaign was as fruitful in the inci-
dents which try the mettle of an at my as almost any
campaign on record ; and its brilliant issues prove
that it is not necessary to maintain vast armies in
order to preserve political influence cr to ensure na-
tional safety.
Mr. Edwards says he happened to be at St. Louis
when erdere arrived that Missouri should raise a body
of volunteers for the conquest of New Mexico. The
military ardour, always sleeping in the Saxon heart,
rose at the call. More offered than mkt be enrolled ;
and these, not the lowest class as with us, but stoat
farmers, well to do in the world, and adventurous
students, and professional men. Each person was re-
quired to present himself equipped and well mounted:
arms only were provided by the state. All the
buoyant spirits flocked to the standard, and the gallant
little band set out on its romantic expedition. Of
coarse there was nothing like the severe subordina-
tion of rank in this little army which obtains
in Europe. The volunteers were all equals, neigh-
bours and gentlemen. There was hardly any difference
between the commander and the private. On one
occasion a Spaniard came to the colonel, to complain
, that a soldier had taken bie pig. "Is this true r
, asked Doniphan of the culprit, who stood by. " Yes,'