Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-11-19

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mas to be fought not less than 43 days Il these bat
ties not successful, ocouse the Invasion from Tam
pco is over, and the troops that survive the contest
must get back well they can We have allowed
very short time for the progress Of tins army OF I'M
disciplined men, doubt If they will get to San LUIS
III sixty days, and indeed may with sound reason be
doubted il they will ever get there. But Will sup
PCS them have succeeded in reasonable time. Let
rs not forget however that the difficulties OF getting
from Altaura to San LUIS are not less than iron "a
nargO to Monterey, and that the troops OF tins eXped
ton are much inferior to those Of the Monterey expe
dItIon. But we will suppose against all probability,
thl has succeeded and that San LUIS captured, be-
fore TayIor's army from Salhlo has arrived There
will no doubt be great effort to accomplish this cap
ture before the arrival OF Taylor the glory of the
capture will be LOST to the TampIco expedition.
Should this expedition capture San LUIS before the
arrival of Taylors army, it would have to wait hu
before going farther.
| Let us now turn our eye TO the army at Monterey,
about 315 miles from San Luis. The whole line is by
land. There are no water facilities of transporting
use for the ponOon train about which so much has
been said. All is land rout through occasional
towns and defes, and through a country where whec
carriages are seldom used and where OF course there
are no good roads, ind ed there be any roads passa
Bile for wheels. From Monterey Sallllo is about 20
miles, by the map 65. On the road is a long and ex-
tremely difficult defe, which will NJ doubt be defend
Cu uuu VIII have ~ Ue OlCeu ii ueIGnQeu WIN mod
crate skill and courage, the forcing of this pass will
probably cost not less than 500 men. Saltillo is said
to contain $4,000 inhabitants. Surprising this town
not to be surrendered without struggle aud what peo-
pie will not struggle to defend their homes? It's con
| quest may be put down at 500 more men.
We are at Saltllo, the army reduced about 1000
jaltllo Is lG5 miles from Camargo the nearest water
depot and from which supplies will have to he obtain
ed distant about 475 miles from San Luis We doubt
| mn oh
firc arms, can addnce an expedition depending uponV
SO long line OF land communication every foot of it'll
Infested 0y people opposed to their Conquerors, and
willing TO resist them. 1t is possible the expedition
may succeed; whatever is possible can be done by
that army under Gen. Taylor, but if it should succeed
the world Will say that the age of miracles has not yet
passed The distance from Saltillo to San Luis is
about 80 miles. strong garrison must be left to
overawe Saltlllo lest it should rise upon the convoyS
and cut off all communication with the army and Its
i depot in the rear
We have already supposed that to get to Saltiloa and
conquer II, would require for all purposes, including
protection to the rear, about 1900 men. How man,
more will 1t require to move from thence to San Luis
Dehes Ill the rear must be fortified, convoys of sup
plies must be escorted towns must be garrisoned-and|
all this with adequate forces for the communications
with the rear must be preserved the people in the
rear must he Kept IN subsection, the is Destroy
ed. NOW how many men are requisite to preserve this
3lO miles OF communication, over and above what will
be required forthe embodied army We will say moth
ing about horses and Wagons for transporting provs
ions ammunition and other suppl, S. We leave this
and the probable cost to the ina ginqt,on of others
The embodied army should be about I50C0 and we
doubt 1t less tlan 10000 more would be adequate to
preserve the communications with the rear and pro-
tect and insure supplies
This will make the whole force on this line. from
MafamoTas to San Luis, $4,000 men, which added to
the the 1900 men of the Tanpico expedition, will
make $4,000 men for TINS San Luis affair
+ 1t would be remarkable, if the army from SaItilo
should progress at an average of five miles day. We
Will suppose 1t to move at that rate, then IN sXty-two
days alter leaving Satllo, this army will possibly be
Z 1t San LUIS.
lfSn Luis be already taken, then the work thus far
y will he done, II not the battle for conquest will have
/ to be fought.
We will suppose Taylor 10 get to San Luis and that
his losses from Saltillo have not exceeded 1000 men,
II That the losses of the Tampco expedition up 10 San
LUIS, have BEEN from all causes, about 300 and thai
TIL great battle by which Saltllo is TAKEN will cost
1000 men, Now we have got Slltillo and all our los
SIS up to and including the capture Of that place. and
the capture of Monterey, make about 0C0 men. We
;. say nothing OF cost The money part OF such plan
} Will prove to be more millions than dare name
But Sluo being taken, the line of operations must be
now chlnged, and supplies must come from ampico
How the glrrsOn3, escorts supplies, wagons, horses
mules, &c NC, are to be wthlrlwn with safety, trou
the now useless Inc between San Luis AM! Camargo
Il we do not say. Withdrawn they must be, or he main
y timed at an enormous expense. Ii the permanent con
" quest OF the country embraced be contemplated, TIN
" line viii have to be reinforced unless the Mexican
:" should be willing to be conquered.
III 1t Is not to be supposed that Mexico would max
" peace and surrender such line and its accessories
She must lose more or drive US out. She is yet touch
NJ ed in no very vital point territory has been passed ove
III but she has not been cOnqured.
e San LUIS has been spoken Of by some a key t
III the door OF Mexico TO what door is 1t a key? IT
70 800 miles rou the city OF Mexico overa rold not bel
~ ter than other Mexican roads, but much worse IN re-
~ erence to the large towns which would have TO be col
u quered worse line Tor an approach to the city tina
IT, the from San LUIS to Mexico, could not be adup
ed-Iheie are eleven clever villages, large towns an
~ cues upon this road All Spanish towns are fortress
VI es, all would nave to be conquered. 10 have SON
ct idea OF their strength, we will mention the repu
IL ed population OF several Of them.
II, GuIndXuAtO Is sad to contain 10000 lnhabltant
~ lzlpuata, 10000 SllImnca, $4,000; Zeaya, 10 0O
hu Querctlro, 4UD00. All these towns must be take
'" beiOre San Luls. r.#.a-
San LUIS has therefor been taken for little or
~ purpose. For what then has all tins expense of bloc
I'' and treasure been made? Mexico remains as uncue
o ed as beiOre serious demonstration has been mac
upon her, no vtd point has been assaulted attacke
Nv We have sklrted her Provinces have taken son
- unmpottInt and remote towns, we have traversed
w vast portion ot her territory, have kicked her shin
at but remains still as unnoved aud as impregnab
" as before None Of her Businesses have been acqul
TO- ed. In what are we better of IN all national al
great considerations, in all national important
quences, on the suppoStlon of having taken San Lu
~ tnan were after tie battle of Monterey, or rattle
~, i: may be asked than after the battles on the
GMnde. But waste Of blood and treasure be OF al
VII account, how easy will be to prove, that conc
e. ton much worse and that OF Mexico much better sin
VI the Rio Grunde affairs
9a a Blood and treasure must be shed freely in WI
NY but shed TO some purpose. Then the country will
NC satisfied and will sustain the war.
as lno ho e,,nu,, ,,,,,,. ,l L;li,,, a.. ,bo nj
as s,iI - h !, ,rr,olae9, iii oyJ - +ho %
VIC ture Of San LUIS. We have not looked at the OPT
~ site side of the PICTURE That is too terrible.
VII vi, hope it will never be realized, but there W
"lH grounded fears We would not have too much &C