Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1846-07-22

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INTERESTING FROM THE ARMr.-Ths
following letter from the Army Correspon.
dent of the Baltimore San, although con.
tanning nothing later, will be found inter-
esting;
June 26M.--At length Gen. Taylor has
received despatchesfrom w Washington; only
a month has interyened between these and
the last. Oftheir contents we know no.
thing, Of course; but of one thing we are
certain, old Zack has not the means in hand
to move into the interior, were he so dis
posed. believe it is his intention to So
cure the whole line of the Rio Grande, on
both sides ofthe river, as high as he can
conveniently push provisions and muni-
tons Of war. With this object in view,
Reynoso is already occupied; and an expe-
dition, consisting Of the 7th Regiment u.
s. Infantry, under command Of D. s. Miles,
a company of Light artillery, and asde.
tachment of mounted troops, with q Regi-
ment of Volunteers, are held in readiness
to march upon Camargo, about $50 miles
by land, Immediately on the Rio Grande,
but are delayed for want Of transportation
for supplies necessary to them.
To move upon the city of Mexico from
this place, is chimerical. Cast your eyes
upon the map, and see if the Sierra de Ma.
dre--a rocky mountain rangedoes not
intervene with passes only in defile, that
may be defended by few troops against
"armed hosts" This rocky mountain,
range is Of great extent and easily defend.
ed, and the country towards it, after leay.
ing the Rio Grande, is represented to be-
sterile and in many places deficient entirely
in pasture and water, SO necessary to our
army. We could move, had we means Of
transportation, upon Monterey, "a city this
side of the mountain, near to their base:
and | believe, had the means of. transport.
alton been afforded, Gen. Taylor. would
have moved in that direction, long AGO in
pursuit Of Arista, who is Represented as be.
ing there, or in the neighborhood, with the
remnants Of his once fine army. 1t were
madness to attempt to pass to the Capitol,
through the deiles Of mountains, when so
much easier road lies from Vera Cruz
up; and merely to take Montery would bs
feat of arms barren of results.
The army of occupation is continually
on the increase, and now number over TO-.
600 fighting men. Occasional scouts ara
sent out, and from other reports, no enemy
is within an hundred miles of head.ouar-
ters, unless we can except the spies which
swarm in our camp. The General has no
concealments, nor never in this campaign
has had any--conscious Of the indomitabls
bravery of his officers and men, he gives
every advantage to the enemy, lets him
chose his ground and takes his position, and
then meets him with one-third his number
and then puts him to flight! saea taF
The country between the Nueces and the
Rio Grande has long been infested by ban.
dHi. The immensely y high duties exacted
by the Mexican government led to the or.
ganization Of regular bands Of smugglers,
whose posts of entry were upon Aransas
bay, and especially ut Corpus Christi
These were composed Of fthe most desperate
characters; and those employed by the gov
eminent ngainst them, under the title Of
commissioners were but little better, and
oftentimes sharers in the wages of finiquity.
So emboldened by success had these ban
dts become that they oftentimes attacked
caravans Of honest traders, under the charge
Of commissioners, and guarded by the gov
ernment troops; and in most instances car
ried off the goods, and often killed and were
killed in the melee. As to a traveller. OF
suspected wealth, getting from Corpus
Christi or Point Isabel to Matamorns with
out being robbed, was miracle; and five
judge by the number of crosses erected
by the roadside, many one fell By the
murderer's red hand. t.
Such was the state of society between the
Rio Grande and the Neuces when the Ar.
my of Occupation took up its march for
this place; and such it continued to be un.
til the victories of the eth and 9th. These
bandits were received into the service of
Mexico under the general name Of Ran
cheros; and among them has figured large.
ly two persons, formerly Commissioners
the brothers Falcon-one of whom, Re-
mar Falcon, his deeds and adventures would
form romance Of reality wild and won.
derful, and dark, stormy and bloody has
been his career. 1t was by the hands Of
these "hawks Of the chopparsl," as they
are called, that Col. Cross is supposed TO
have fallen; and Lieut.. Porter in search Of
clue to his fate, fell CALAMITY fighting to
the last with them. 1t was by these that q
party of dozen or more were on the road
up from Corpus Christi, some few weeks
ago,overcome and tied, and had their throass
cut in sight Of each other, and pitched into
the stream Of the Arrego Colorado. These
men, called into the seryiceo Mexico, went
tor booty, and hung upon the skirts Of the
fight, ready to mutilate our deed--w
they did in several instances; but no soon
or had we cleared the field, than finding
their occupation gone, they hare taken
themselves elsewhere, and may be- found