American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-05-20

n SEARCH AFTER THE BODY OF LIT. PORTER.
In the Providence Journal we find long letter
from the camp of Gen. Taylor, giving an &C
count of Lieut. Porter's death, with the follow
ing narrative of an attempt to recover his body:
GAS soon as the news of Porter's being shot
was made certain, was ordered with party
OF fifty men and two officers, to 60 and find his
remains, ifpossibe, and also to get hold Of some
OF the rascas by whom he was killed. Istart-
ed at daybreak on the 22d, with two days. ra =
tons, having as guides the same men who had
been with Porter. We marched the first day
twenty-five miles and encamped, as my guides
assured me, within two miles of the place where
they were fired on.
cut place in the "chapparel !" and slowed
my men away so snugly that you might have
passed hundred times without suspectng a
soul was near. hoped, by keeping thus un-
seen, and making very early start, to come
down upon nest Of the scoundrels before they
scattered for their daily scouts, and help my
self to the whole of them. After marching
about four miles, however, the next morning,
my guide gave up, admitting that he was mis-
taken in the trail, and could give me no farther
assistance. All the other men who had been
with Porter said the same. They could tell me
nothing, save their belief that it was in GER
tain direction toward which they pointed.
My guides having all thus failed me, had
nothing to do but try my own resources; so, re-
tracing our footsteps about eight miles, struck
Oft right through the "chapparel," steering by
compass in the course which would, thought,
ntersect Porter's trail. OF the difficulty of
this march can give you but slight idea
Most of my men were old Florida soldiers, and
they all declared that their worst marches in
its swamps and hammocks were play to this
The "chapparel' is made up of a variety of
strong gnarled shrubs, or rather bushes, from
six to twenty feet high, all bearing thorns, and
all SO crooked and twisted that you cannot
look at them without squirting; between these
it is filled up with prickly pear, Spanish bayo-
net, and an endless variety of other plants,
vines, &c., all having the one common proper
ty of being full of thorns, spikes and prickles.
We had often to crawl, and almost constantly
to walk bent nearly double.
After penetrating about four miles in this
manner, we came at last to thicket of an en-
tirely different character, composed almost
solely OF dry, white, thorny brush, without
leaves, and SO closely matted together that it
looked as ifyou could hardly run your arm
into it. My advanced guard halted and said
they could not get drought it. | told them
they must try, and by beating the bushes a.
side with the butts of their muskets, they made
place large enough for one man to crawl in.
The labor ofthe men in front was SO severe
that had to change them every few minutes,
and by the time had gone mile in this slow
and painful manner, | saw from the general
exhaustation of the men, that it was useless TO
attempt getting any farther. then sent two
Of them up the highest bush | could see, for
trees there were none, to discover the nearest
outlet, but in every direction they could not see
any thing but "chapparel." There was moth
ing for it, therefore, but to order an about-face
and take the back track, until we emerged
from this horrible wilderness of thorns.
My two officers were almost exhausted, and
two of the men taken sick, from the terrible
heat in this dense thicket, where not breath
of wind could relieve the close, sultry, un-
healthy atmosphere, and where not drop of
water was to be had. When we got to water
again every man would, believe, had it been
deep enough, have plunged in head foremost;
fortunately it was nearly milk warm, so that
unrestraned indulgence was not very likely to
injure them.
My scout was entirely unsuccessful. My
guides had misled me so far wong that could
not get right, and was compelled to return on
the third day, having marched at least 25
miles, and bringing back nothing save the
thorns, prickly pear needles, and the ticks, with
which we were most abundantly garnished-
My knees and arms, from the wrist to the ell
bow, bore striking resemblance to pin
cushions.
Poor Porter still lies, no doubt, prey to the
brgands, and the only way to obtain his re-
mains will be by bribing some Mexican to bring
them in. He has left young wife and child
utterly destitute, save the pension, which, for
five years, they receive from the noble gene.
rosity of our country-twelve dollars and
half per month";"