Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1846-09-18


From the National IatelIigcncer.
MOVEMENTS ON THE RIO GRANDE.
The leader of the Union of Saturday night, in
reply to our article of Saturday under the head
of"The first of September" received from us
yesterday brief reply on n single point, the
Georgia Adjumnts letter. The article of the
Union, however, contained matter of graver cha
racter, on The state Of the 10ar in The South,
which, being ingenious as we'll as disingcnuous,
requires a more careful examination and a re-
ference to dates and recorded facts to expose its
inaccuracies.
In our article of Saturday last we showed, for
the second or third time, that all of Gen. SCOTS
calculations on the time for the advance of our
army, "much beyond the Rio Grande, !" had been,
or soon would be, fully verified. 1t was not for
the sake of controversy with the official paper
that we REQUIRED to the subject of General SCOTS
opinions in relation to the Mexican war; nor do
we covet controversy in regard to any officers
personal or professional concerns; but our sense
of Justice to one to whom his country owes so
much forbids our suffering the ingenious pcrvcr-
siOns ofthc official paper in regard to him to pass
uncontradictcd.
The Union now says: ave do not deem it
necessary to discuss the correspondence which
took place between Gen. Scott and the War De.
partmont;" the same which il originally publish
ed in such hot haste, with long editorial, in or
der to prooccupy and poison the public mind
against the man whom it was then the purpose
to crush and to disgrace The then cry was,
with the War Department and the organ: "Thc
urdor Of the volunteers has been greater, and
the military arrangements of the State auhor-
ties more active, than he (Gcn. S. had calcu-
lated"
What were his calculations? Gen. S. had
said MAY 21:) "Without shadow of doubt a.
bout the patriotism or zeal of the citizens special
" called upon" to volunteer, and MAY 25) ''no
matter how great the zeal and energy of the State
authorities and oflhc volunteers themselves, the
whole (say 10000 nor the greater part of the
twcvo-months volunteers (horsc and loot) can
not be brought on the Rio Grandc before the
first week in August, i so Soon," on account Of
the difficulties in organizing the corps, the rainy
season, and the distances to be overcome. We'll;
instead of leaving their States towards the end
of June, as he had calculated, most of the regi-
mcnts, us we have seen by the newspapers, did
not get off until late in July.
In reference to the time of reaching the Rio
Grandc the Union now says august 29) "Tho
fact turns out somewhat otherwise. The first of
September has not come yet. Our army has
been assembled in large force on the Rio Grandc
for month. Why, then, does not Gen. Tay-
lor advanced? We have obtained, and now hold
possession of a large part of Tamaulipas, Chat
is, the Executives Texas, as far east rs the
Nueces. We are masters of the Rio Grandc
for two hundred miles," &c.
Now how does all this, or any part of it, "mm
out somewhat" different from Gen. SCOTS cal
culotionsl lie supposed MAY 2l) that before
advancing ''much beyond the Rio Grande," it
would be desirable, in order to secure the base of
operations, to take the posts on the other or
right bank of that river and, accordingly, Mata-
morls, Roynosa, Camargo, and Mier have been
occupied without the least resistance.
sour army has been assembled in large force
on the Rio Grand for month";" says the URiOn
and yet it does not advance beyond that river!
Why! Because the horse regiments from Ken
lucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas, are yet, proba
bly, more than month behind; and Gen. S. said,
in the same letter. "But if horse be necessary
clement to success, (and wo-thrds, if not three
lourths of the Mexican army are understood to
DC Ill lllO SduulCSl Wlul utlly Wuuu tllGtC DC Ill
forcing the foot much ahead of the hOrSe?"
But, forced ahead of the horse as the foot have
been, we have seen by the newspapers, that two
or three regiments Of inianry-those destined
against Chhuahua-were detained, early this
month and indefinitely, by mud and storms Of
rain, near Matagorda, waiting for dry weather
To enable them to advance pia San Antonia to
the crossing point on the Rio Grande-a march
of 400 miles. Can one column from Camargo,
advance into Mexico with safety, before the 9TH
or ria the Preside del Nortc is ready to cross
and to attack chihuahua! Gen. Scott, in the
correspondence, recommended that all the forces
should reach the river and pass into the interior
of Mexico about the same time; TO prevent two
suppose) the enemy from doubling his forces
upon some one of our columns.
In the act of writing, letter is received from
Point Isabel, dated the 7th instant, more peril
nent and conclusive than any thing We might
give of our own. We add an extract:
"Tho army is making the utmost oxerlions
towards an early advance from Camargo upon
Monterey: but we may be delayed by continued
storms of rain, which is said to be worse from
the middle to the end of this month. The vol
unteer horse from Arkansas, Tennessee, and
Kentucky, it is ascertained, cannot be up before
some time in October. Gen. L. will need a
large mounted force to protect his front and
hanks, and to prevent the Mexican cavalry from
riding down or over our volunteer foot, which
have not learned how to form squares. Fortu'
nateIy, among the throe-months men he has two
regiments of Texan horse, not discharged with
the other corps QooD for short terms. These
with the aid olGovernor Henderson, their com
mandcr, General Taylor hopes to engage iol
another term Of threc months, and with them, ii