The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-11-27
Leiterjrom The L iiiOr.
NO. XVI.

rRs.Inso, (Mexico) Oct Der d lsi3
"Oh, tho Rio Grande--
Oh the Rio Grand.--
wish @as upon your hanks
With Rife u my hILd!
There are few men in sour army" Who have
not sung, or tried To sing. The parody With the u
boyc lines for a chorus, aud contrary to the usual
uck of wishes they have been grarird. We
have been Oh lhe banks of the RIn Grandc,
an same Of Us at lcast, with rides ~ our hand.
We accomplished the march iron san AnIouio
10 .his place, over POO nies, in thirteen days,
including all stopplgrs. The roads were IN .X-
ceenl condition, ,ne.sl,eams low, and the wealth
er cool aud pleasant, unril The middle OF the day,
by which timr, (,i-Hiug at 1 "a the morning)
the DAYS march was s.uaIlY accomplished. One
OF two DAYS the men marched is fa a - miles,
and number Of Others iron Is 20 Besides
this, all carried thsir guns and Anap'stkS, Which
they dil not from la Daca 10 Sal Antonio, and
yet they Stood 1t bsllcr. The humber Of sick
was II >, as large by hafas waill We isy in camp,
an tas Hl' " we're III uSlAtI C't'''
The county through which we passed, from
/ IS miles beyond san Antonio, is Of the wiidcrI
Kind, totally uninhabiIcd, oHccp! by Will beast,
and the remnants Of few Indian iihes. The
soil for the greater part, Is rich and covered wiki
a luxurious vegetation. The streams the most
beautiful in tue world, and 80 ,merous hat II
l. 4 f., tln fhnr
until sc reached the Nucsces, so miles from tie
Ria Grsnjc, after which We met but one stream
Of running water, and lille # any kind that was
act brackIsh, or Otherwise, almost unit fl use.
Blu, While Ihe soil rich, tive strrans cool, clear
as crystal, aud ercry mik h..H.stai. there lie no
timber. AMI yel there is inIlr rraGir. All west
ern Texas il covered with musqpcrI, growing a.
bout as close as trees IN ali orch, ! or with chap
Paral thicsst, imPsneN-be a. hedge fence
And not shrub, or iftr, or ANYTHING above mere
prairie gran gross IN thi. G5ag .i-aLo". iaud but
is armed with lhnrn-, Jr puck.es, y sharp r'iat
Of some sort. My, lar liz hi, carried, that
even toaJs art ar....d ~lth shprn.. Tine IDrHtd-
Gog was f.und 10 numbrts ,hir SADIE he NIasces,
snI attracted great deal Vi attention. 1t is a
toad 40 ui III. head, except bat u has Two prom
Iuent straight horn-, about a. inch iona. aHd Is
cover via prIcArs--ig oil other respect, Il lie
snl many were carried by the men IN their pocs-
eta. Another rnrG Gr.s ne met, was not GUd,
but Me must hcg, of which several were Killed
by the n.n bunting. The ''"iII hog u Mexi-
20" is about the size OF sl Ordinary FIX months
shoa', color about that tf coon, Ia al respects
like all ordinary young Berkshire, except !h.t It
Is lve.!ci Of tina, important pus,rriof oppegIagc,
Tue graceful curl Of vh.ch sis IF Ihe farm hog
to 50 much ad,autigt; and lutaer, keep. tina, IL
carries vessel Oh lis rumr ii.i'd vito Ingenious
matter. that sn,,s ike musk. The msai Is goal
TO bears meat, lasiiGs much iht i.
"Our company" uHder Capt. r"nis,, you
sre aware went With the ad,aLce dcldchatn,
week ahead Of the regiment, The de.achmen,,
in company With a provision train If o'cI 200
wagons, were o,er'aAen by Geu. Wool, aud tao
companies Of dragons, four days march f;om the
Rio Grade, sud III two days mere, they overlook
the battalion Of regulars under Msjlr Bonneville,
that had gone ahead Of all, The whole party
made The Rio Grande he 10 h day after tie com
yed on the banks of the rivcr they were met BY
= party Of MeIlcans OIL the opposite bans bear
ing White l!.. After some hesitation, one ven
tured TO bear it across aud he WAS f'll1wod 10y
the others. They blre a message from ihe Al
calde of Presiiro. askin; # Gru. v oul would
condeso, nj 10 have an interview wi'h hin. The
Gen sea, him reply that i, would not be refused.
So in few hours the Alcade appeared, bringing
a Mexican account Of Gen. Taylur's s.tack on
Monterey, and Of the armislIce, expressing ut the
same time his Willingness to surrender hi, town
without resistance, on condition tina, no Jrprcia-
tons should be committed BY our soldrv. The
proposal was accedeJ 10, uui Gen. " COL crossed
the same evening, aud the nrx DAY marched
through the town aud cncamprd tso miles be-
You'd it, whero lis whole command is i, present
collected.
Ptc,ijco lies about six mites We, pt the river,
and is u town of about two thouslud inhabitants.
II is built up If Ell.dried brick, aud stone like
san Antonio, except the houses ia Ih- uutsAi iris,
which are stakes driven ia the ground, dauh,d
With mud and ,hachcd with flag There are
some houses uf cOnsldtnll' prc,eusluns Ia the
place, aud few fine churches. But all has such
a strange oulandish, aud aniqualcd Appearance,
that it is hard TO agree that anything about i, is
hand, ome. OF course, as at San Antonio, there
are no chlmnles, M floors, no Z as. windows
The houses protect from the RAIN aud heat during
the day, and at night, when it Is co!i (fur It il
now nearly cold enough for frost at night, while
a, midday it is notl the airhOies ate closed with
blankets.
Cen. Wool, with all the troops now here, will
leave day after Tomorrow fpr Ccahuila, intend.
ing 10 take San Fernando first, and then Mon.
iroya, the capital Of tina, department Of Mexico
BY that time, he probably expects We will have
our hand in, and he eau venture to prosecute tho
war into chihuahua.
Capt Morgan and Capt. pronliss take the
right OF the whole connand-lhc Io'liOa Of
honor. II is position which has always hccn
claimed by Tao regulars over Volunteers; but Gen.
Wool declares the chmpanirs namcd merit the
post as being better drilled better olliecrcd, aud