Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-10-10
The Position NJ Gen. Taylor.

The Position NJ Gen. Taylor. t
The New Orlesn. Courier enter.sins grave
apprehcnsions ss TO the character IF the next
ncws to be received from Gen. Toylor's army.
I, deyotcs tong article to the subject, in which
one fact 10 se. prominently forth and that 10 that
the Mexicans OF the States Of Tamaulipas, New
Leou Cahuils, and perhaps even Zscasecsr.
&isi oppose 10 the advance Of the American ar.
nv of invasion the most vigorous resistance.
independent of the regular trooPs under the
c,mmsnd Of Ampudia in Montery or it's vicinity.
the Americans nust encounter from others &c.
v,sssuSc not less determined nor perhaps less
effective.
The rancheros viii rise en masse as soon sr
their tre.sides are invaded. So long as the A.
,nerican army was stationed upon the banks OF
the Rio Grspde, they took no part in the con-
,roversy, inssmuch on this side Of that line
the country is very thinIy settled, and on this
account pSosscsscd no favorable ralying points OF
defence; but ia proportion as Gen. Taylor pc,
ne,rates into the interior, where the towns, vii
ges ha,nie,s and ranch.s become more hume.
rous and more deeply populated, it W u be more
easy for the Mexicsns to organize q SYSTEM OF
defence in which they may avail themselves of
every possible advantage OF their position. They
will carry on against us guerilla warfare, and
to tel the truth, the nature of the country up
on the route which General Tsy ;or has selected
tor advancing upon Mon,ery gives them. howe,
yer small, may be their numbers, great savan'
tsgcs over our troops. ... t...--.,
4 4, the distance ot thirty or forty miles trom
the Rio Grandc, by the upper rou,e-that is,
ntle this side Of Ceualvo-commences that
chain of moun,sins which traversrs a porthn
Of the States Of tCh,hnahus, Coahuila and New
Leon. which terminates in the neighborhood o
Sal,ilon The route which Gen. Taylor is pur'
suing skirts along the iot OF these mountains
One may readily conceive wha, advantages
these raucheros will Possess-kmwing as they
do so intimately every locality. all the dehlc'
and retreats which the face OF the Country pre-
sents-for preparing au'buscaccs aud for harras
sing daily our tr~Ps ..,.-.. .
We do not wish to say that the Americans
/ VIII not tJlutupu OSet uii VIC uHh'"''SS w s"~'
route but We are persuaded that they will mo-
succeed save by great sacrifices. Nov II G'n
Tsylor has sci forih,as all the accounts iron
the RIO Grande seeun 10 represent. with sin
gle column OF only five or six thousand men, w
, doubt very much il he will succeed in reaching
/ Monterey with two thirds Of this number; am
, should this prove irue, then the seige and cap
iure Of that city--~hich is pretty well fort'he'
no, only BY its artillery. bu, by ills natural posi-
!. ,ion. and v hich is besides garrisoned ny hvo
D six thousa nd men. troups of the line and nation
> al militia appear To US not q little Problemau
cal. -4.
II is true that the upper route is preferable I
i, the others on account Of water, wood and forage
!. which are 10 be found on almost any part OF u
o and Of which our troops have the utmost need
A especially in the season Of extreme heat; bu
\ apart from these advantages, which by no mean
outweigh its difficulties and dangers, the Nv
!, lower routes-one from Matamoras direct, an
A the other from Csmargo. uniting at Lnafe'
and thence leading to Monterey by the way {
!. c Caiderey,e-would have been much more surf