Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1846-06-25

the eldest OF the daughters went TO the
bed and brought TO ne a most Lowell,
and interesting child, as white almos
as any of our people. She inform.
ed me that she was married about two
! years ago to Texan prisoner, anc
/ that he had been killed whilst fighting
under General Taylor. She spoke in
the highest terms of her diseased lord.
and seemed TO worship his image in
the child She is lovely creature,
and | think deeply devoted 10 our
cause. iis s2A
Matamoras is much handsomer
| place than expected to find it.. 1t COW
ers two miles square, though by no
means as compact asan American city
every house except those around
the public square having large gar
den attached. The houses in the bus
mess part Of the town are built after
the American fashion, though seldom
exceeding two stories in height. All
the windows to these bulldogs are
grated from top to bottom with iron
bars, and half of the door only opens
for admittance, which gives them the
appearance ofprisons more than bust
ness houses. The public square is in
the centre of the town, and must have
been laid off by an American or Euro
pean, for the Mexicans never could
have laid it out with such beauty and
precision On the four sides of the
square the houses are built close to-
gether, as in block, and are ali of the
same size and height with the excep
ton of the cathedral, which though I'M
finished, still towers above the others.
In these houses are sold dry goods,
groceries and every kind of wares, with
now and then an exchange or coffee
house. They are principally occupied
by Europeans, and you can hear French,
English, Spanish and German spoken
at the same time After leaving the
public square on either side, the hou-
ses decrease in size and beauty for
two or three squares, when the small
reed and matched huts commence, and
continue to the extreme limits of the
place.
In walking through the streets, my
attention was attracted to a house in
the door of which stood or leaned two
half naked Mexicans, so wo BECOME as
TO cause me to halt. On my nearing
the door a most disagreeable stencil
almost induced me to bout face. |
mustered courage to enter the door
On the floor lying upon mats without
covering, were near fifty Mexicans,
wounded in the late engagements, at
tended by some 10 or 10 women
The smell of the place was insuffera-
bic, and | had to leave it. The next
door was the same, and so on for about
90 houses. A friend of mine called
my attention to a room in which there
We're at least forty of these miserable
objects, and this room was scarcely -
feet square. There was not positively
room for the nurses to attend them
Some had lost a leg, some an arm, land
some both legs and arms. | noticed
one who will certainly get well, whose
legs were shot off within two or three
inches above the knee, and he seemed
/, to me to have a greater flow Of spirits
than some who had only flesh wounds.
| said to him, that had his wound been
made by a Mexican shot he would
have been dead, to which he replied,
the American shot was very good no
poisonous copper in them. One had
died just before entered the room, and
they were making preparation to carry
him out. He had been shot in the
mouth with arife ball which passed
under the left ear. and he had lived
| from the ninth upto this time. There
are between $50 and 400 of these bor.
rid objectsin this place, and the sight Of
them would induce many stout heart
! to lament the horrors of war. These
men give the number of killed and
wounded on the ninth much greater
than the Americans ever claimed
some say twelve hundred and some
fifteen hundred, but enough of them.
Lieut.. Wells, ofthe spies, informed
me yesterday that General Arista had
halted at the distance of so miles from
this place, and is receiving reinforce
nents quite briskly. Lieut.. w. with
few men followed them 60 miles,
The Mexlcans say he (Arista) will
certainly return and attack us at this
place, but the best Informed Americans
entertain no such idea. aJ 81 tea s5
I If things are left to Taylor's discre-
Etion, he will march from this place to
! Monterey,--on this river-and if he
does, the Mexicans will give him 8