The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1847-01-23
OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS
RELATIVE To THE
NJ EXC AN w AR.
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ME XICAN w AR.
&C.. &c., &c.
OPINION Oh GENERAL TAYLOR ON THE CAMPAIGN,
AND THE cAPrTuLATioN AT MONTEREY.
HEAD Qas. ARMY OF occurArIos, OR IsvAsios,l
Monterey, Mexico, Nov o. 1896
After considerable apparent delay on the part Of the
Quarter Masters Department in getting steamboats, Into
the Rio Grande adapted to its navigation. succeeded
towards the latter part of August In throwing forward
TO Camargo. IA town situated on the San Juan river
three miles from its junction with the Rio Grande on
the west side nearly 500 miles from Brazos Island by
water and 200 by land, and ld0 frouthis place. cons
derable depot Of provisions ordnance. ammunition and TO-
portion of my command determined on moving on this
place Accordingly, after collecting 100 pack mules
with their attendants and conductors in the snemys
country he principal Of transportation for our
provisions, baggage, sc left on tho 9th of september,
to ssralvo small village Is miles on the route which
did on the 9h and after waiting there few days for
som, OF the corps get up moved on and reached here
volunteers. For what took place afterwards must re-
fer You TO my several Iepor,spar,icularly tony detail
Washington Ut all satisfied with my conduct in
gard to the of the capuation entered into with
the Mexican commander which you doubt have
as they have hesn made public through the official or
gan, and copied into various other newspapers have
nouncing the surrender Of Monterey and the circum.
stances Attending tho same from the Secretary Of War,
was bot deemed advisable to insis. on The terms i
had proposed in my first communication to tho Mexi.
Ras ssa S svns no
doubt justified the change Although the terms Of CAPT
may os too Liberal on our part by the
dsance particularly by those who do not understand
the position which We occupied otherwise they might
come to different conclusion IN regard to the natter3
yet, on due reflection, nothing to induce to
sret the course pursued The proposition the part
Of General Ampuda, which had much to do in determn
that our had proposed to his to settle the
sting difficulties by negotiation, (which knew the
consideration by the proper authorities, and which he
Gen AmPudia( had no doubt wsud result favor.bly,
the whole OF his people in favor Of peace.
considered the further euson Of blood not emily
cSS1.aIy, but mpropsr Their force was also consider
the pacc, We could not completely invest that tho
greater portion oither troops If not the whole had they
the city at entered tho mountain passes and
ed their retreatdo hat could Had we been put
there is doubt should have succeeded in doing)
We should in all probability, have lost fifty hun
dred men in killed. besides the wounded-which wish
cd to avoid there appeared to be prospect Of peace
distant also wished to avoid tho destruc-
ton Of women and children which must have been very
great had the sormngpr0cesS been resorted to- Besides
they had very large and strong fothcation short dis
tanos from the city, which, carried with the bayonet
must have been taken at great sacrifice c and with
limited train heavy batter artillery would
have required twenty or twenty five days to take it by
That they should have surrendered place nearly a.
strong ss Quebec we'll fortified under the direction OF
skul engineers, their works garnshed with fortytwo
pieces Of artillery abundanty supplied with anmuni-
on end garrsoned by 1000 regular and 1000 irregular
troops in addition to thousand citizsns capable Of
dsfence-to an opposing force of hall their lumber,
scanty supplied with provisions, and with light train
Of artiIlerys among the unaccounabe occurrences of
the times
am decidedly opposed to carrying the war beyond
abandoned by the Mexican forces. ali Of whom hsy.
been concentrated at San Luis Potosi and shall lose
no time in taking possession Of the former,
The cessation OF hostes REFER ed TO expires which
have notified the Mexican authorities Wilt be the case on
the 18th inst by direction Of the President of the United
states
IL we lin the language of Mr.. Polk and General
Sco) under the necessity OF conqueripg peace and
that by taking capital of the country we must go TO
Vera Cruz, ske that place and then city
Of Mexico. To do 30 in any other direction, consider
out of the question But, admitting tina! We conquer
peace by doing sosay, at the end of the next twelve
monhs-will tho amount Of blood and treasure which
must be expended in doing So DO compensated by tho
is TO be givenup and imsgn there but few indvi.
duas in our country who think Of annexing Mexico to
the United States
do intend 10 carry my opeI a,ious (as previous
~ statedl beyond Ssio-deemiDg next to imprscti.
cable to do So then becomes question to what is
best to be done. IL seems to mo, the most judicious
course TO BIO pursued part would be take pos.
session at Of the line would accept by negoa.
one Intending from the Gulf ofMexco the Pacific and
occupy the same or keep what wo already have pos
session Of; and that, with Tsmpco (which hope to
take in the Of the next month can
get the of transpottation) will give all this
side Of the Sierra Madre, and as soon occupy Sal
tiilo will include six or seven staes or Provinces thus
holding Tampico, Victoria, Monterey. salulo. Monclo
va, Chihushu,, (Which presume General Wool has
possession of by this time Santa Fe and the CALIFORNIA;
and say to Mexico, " Drive us from the country!"
throwing her the responsibility and expense OF
rying offensive warat the same time closely block
aiding all her ports the Pacific and the Gulf course
of this kind, if perssvered in for short time would
bring her to her proper and compel her to
country sufficiently stable for us to treat with which,
fear will hardly DO the case rany years 70
without large reiriorcemen,s OF volunteers from the
United States say fifteen thousand Chose preyi-
ousy cent out having already been greatly reduced by
sickness and other casualties do not believe would
ne advisable 10 march beyond saltillo. which is
than 600 miles beyond dspos tho Rio Grande, a
very long line which to keep supplies lover land
route, country like this) for large force, and
tain to Re attended with expense which will be fright
full to contemplate, when closely looked into.
on the osd to tn. c
bred hundred and forty badly watered where
supplies OF any kind could be procured for men or
horses. have informed the War Department that 40,
coo efficient woald be necessary to insure success
If we move that placc-(a city containing popula
and sustain besides the citizens, army Of 5000e)a
force which apprshend will hardly be collected by
various ott supplies particularly ordnance and NUM-
In regard to til. armi..ics, which would have expired
by limitation, in few days lost nothing by it,
could not move now, had the enemy continued TO
occupy sa,llo; FOR, strange to say. the first wagon
which has resched since the declaration of
the IA inst, the day which received from
Warrington an acknowledgment Of my despatch an.
nouAcing the taking Of Monterey: and then received
only 49, - that havo BEEN since Msy last completely
crippled and still 60 Ter want Of transportation AZ
akins aud sarspips the country for miles around
CamsrEo, collecting every pack male and other means
Of transportation could bring hero only 80 600 ration:,
nance sDmunon be, - do which ell the corps hal TO
leave behind portion Of thor camp seupsge necessary
for their comfort and in instances smsng the
luntears, their psrsonsl baggage. moved in such
way, and with suth limited means that, had not sue
ceedsd should no doubt have been severely repriman
died. il nothing worse. dad 50 to sustsn the admins
trst1on
ard Kentucky, who left their respective states TO
Join me- June the latter has Just reached Camsrgo-
the former had not got 10 Matcmoas at the latest oates
from there Admitting that they will be es long In
turning in getting here, (to say nothing OF the time
to recruit their horses and to be dis