The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-10-08
From the Philadelphia Ledger.
THE POSITION OF GEN TAyI,op

The New Orleans Courier entertains grave an
prehensions as TO the character Of the next nev.
to be received from Gen. Tsylor's army. II d..
votes a IN! article Ia the subject, in which ono
TACT is SET Prominently firth, and that is that thu
Mexicans of the States of Tomaulipas. New Leon
Coahnila. and perhaps even Of u ,catecas, will
oppose To tho advance of the American army or
Invasion the most vigorous resistance. Indepen.
dPnt "t the regular troops under the command or
Ampudia IN Monterey or its vicinity. the Amer.
cans must encounter from others, resistance M,
less nor perhaps less effective.
The rancheros will rise en- masse as soon a.
their fire. sides are invaded. So long as N.
American army was stationed upon the banks of
the Rio G,ande, they took no part in the contro.
versy, inasuuch as On this side of that line the
country Is very ihiuly settled, and on this accom-,
possessed no favorably rallyiog points of defence
but in proportion as Gen. Taylor penetrates int
tho interior. where. the towns, villages. hsmIe,s
and ranchus becgme more numerous and mo,a
densely populated. it will be more easy for the
Mexicans 10 organize a system of defence in which
they NAV avail themselves Of every possible adj
vantage Of their position. They will carry q,
against MS n guerilla warfare. and To tell the truth
the nature of the country upon the route which
Zen. Iayl"r has selected for advancing upon
Monterey gives them. however small may be ,hei,
numbers. great ad vaniages over our troops.
Al the distance of thirty OF forty miles from tho
nj" Urande, by the upper rouie-that is, a little
this side of Cerralvo-c0mmences that chain ,f
maintains which iraverses a portion of the S,,,a.
NJ Chthuahua. COahuila and New Leon, which
terminates in the neighboriood of Saliillo. Tbs
route which Gen. Taylor is pursuing skirts alonu
the fnnt of these mountains. One may readils
conceive what advantages these rancheros vii,
possess-knOwing as they do so intimately eyery
locality. all the defles and retreats which The
lace of the cOuh,ry presents-foT preparing ambus.
| CadPS and far barassinu dailp ~ t,oo.
We do not wish to say that the Americans will
not triumph over all the difficulties of their route
but we are persuaded that they will not succeed
save by great sacrifices. Now if Gen. TavlO,
has set forth, as all the accounts from the H.
Grande seem 10 represent, with a single column
OF only hive or six thousand men. we duubt yerv
much II he will succeed in reaching Montery with
two thirds of this number; and should this prove
true. then the siege and capture of that CITY
which IS pretty well fortified not only by its ar.
tillery, hut by IFS natural position, and which is
besides garfisoned by five or six thousand mep.
troops of the line and national militia-appear 10
us not a little p%roblematical.
II is true that the upper route is preferable to
me DINERS on account OF water, wood and furapp.
which are 10 be found on almost any part of il
and OF which our troops have the utmost need
especially in the season of extreme heat bu,
apart from these advantages, which by no means
outweigh ITS difficulties and dangers, the two
lower routes-one from Matamoras direct, and the
other frnm Camargo, uniting at Linares, and
thence leading 10 Monterey by the way of Calder
eyte-would have been much more sure.
In view of these considerations, we ventured to
indicate two months ago the lines by which the
two bodies of the army of invasion would NOVA
upon Monterey and thence upon Saltillo. But
0en. Taylor having chosen in preference TO them
the upper and only other route-the most difficult
and dangerous of alI-he must have done this for
weighty reasons of his own. Upon him will rest
the responsibility of any check which the army
may meet with. and possibly of great disasters
which may befall it, and Of the fatal consequences
which will thence ensue.
we do not wish to anticipate or to predict a
defeat Of the American arms but we have a pro.
found conviction that Gen. Taylor has deeply
compromised the results of those brilliant successes
which four months since he achieved a, Palo Alto
and Resaca de la Palma.