Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1847-07-23

ty will include in " the going out and coming
in" of the Missouri Chihuahua volunteers. the
water voyage as we'll as the land march; and
| then the expedition of the one thousand will
exceed that of the ten by some two thousand
miles,
The last nine hundred miles of your land
march, from chihuahua to Matamoras, you
MADE IN forty-fve days, fbringing seventeen
pieces OF artillery, eleven of which were taken
nom the Sacramento and Bfacito. Your hor-
ses' travelling the whole distance without Uni.
Tea States provender, were astonished TO find
themselves RECALLED, on their arrival on the Rio
Grande frontier. with hay, corn, and oats from
the States. You marched farther than the
farthest. fought as well as the best, left order
and quiet IN your train, and cost less money
than any.
You arrived here to-day, absent one year,
marching and fighting all the time, bringing
trophies OF cannon and standards from fields
whose names were unknown to you before
you, set out, and only growing that you could
not have gone further. Ten pieces of cannon,
rolled out of chihuahua to arrest your march,
now roll through the streets of St. Louis, to
grace your trlumphal return. Many standards,
all pierced with bullets while waving over the
heads OF the enemy at the Sacramento, now
wave at the head of your column. The black
flag brought to the Bracto, to indicate the re-
tusal OF that quarter which its bearers so soon
needed and received, now takes its place a.
mong your trophies, and hangs dropping in
their nobler presence To crown the whole
Ito make public and private happiness go to-
gether-to spare the cypress where the laurel
hangs IN clusters-this long and perilous
march, with all Its accidents of field andIcamp,
presents an incredibly small list of comrades
lost. Almost all return. and the ioy of fami-
hes resounds, intermingled with the applauses
of the State.
have said that you made your long expe-
dition without government orders; and so in
deed you did You received no orders from
) your government, but, without knowing it,
you were fulfilling its orders-orders which
? never reached you. Happy the soldier who
!, executes the command of his government
happier still who anticipates command, and
! does what is wanted before he is bid. This is
5 your case. You did the right thing, at the
right time, and what the government intended
: you TO do and without knowing its intentions
t Early in the month of November las, the
2 President asked my opinion on the manner of
conducting the war. | submitted plan to
$ him, which, in addition to other things, re-
CURED all the Americans in that quarter who
could be engaged for dashing expedition, to
move down through Chihuahua and the State
/, of Durango, and if necessary to Zacatecas, and
get into communication with Gen. Taylor's
4 right as early possible in the month of March.
f In fact the disposable Missourians in New Mex
leo were to be one of three columns destined for
: a combined movement on the city of Mexico, ALI
to be on the table-land, and ready for the move
ment i'll the month Of March. The President
= approved the plan, and the Missourians being
most distant, orders were despatched to New
= Mexico to put them in motion. Mr.. Solomon
. Subette carried the order, delivered it to the
e commanding officer at Santa Fe, Col. Price, on
: the 23d of February-just five days before
e you fought the marvellous battle Of Sacrament
a to-
= well remember what passed between the
i President and myself at the time he resolved
to give this order. 1t awakened solicitude for
i your safety 1t was to send small body of
: men great distance into the heart of hostile
0 country. and upon the contingency of uniting
in a combined movement, the means for
- which had not yet been obtained from Con.
q gress The President made it a question, and
:. very properly, whether it was safe, or prudent,
n to start the small Missouri column before the
! movement of the left and centre was issued.
Y | answered that my own rule in public affairs
was to do what thought was right, and leave
IS it with others to do what they thought was
} right; and that believed it theproper course
: for him to follow on the present OCCASION
i On this view he acted He gave the order to
i 60, without waiting to see whether Congress
r would furnish the means of executing the
e combined plan; and, for his consolation,
e undertook to guaranty your safety. Let the
n worst come to the worst, promised him that
: you would take care of yourselves. Though
Is the other parts of the plan should fail-though
= you should become far involved in the advance,
; and deeply compromised in the enemy's coun-
&c try, and without support-still ] relied on
your courage, skill, and enterprise to extricate
> yourselves from every danger-to make day
!. II light through all the Mexicans that should
r. stand before you-cut your way out-and
. make good your retreat TO Taylor's camp
This is what promised the President in No
vemberlast, and what you have so manfuIy
n fulfleE And here is little manuscript VOL
ume (the duplicate of it in the hands of the Pre-
sdent from which l will read you page, to
= show you that you are the happy soldiers
: who have done the will of the government,
l. without knowing its will:
d "THE Right wISG.-To be composed Of all
= the disposabe troops in New Mexico-to advance
s rapidly through the States Of Chihuahua and Do
e, rango and towards Zacatecas and to attain po-
% siton about on line with Gen. Taylor in the
e month Of March, and be ready for push on the
j. capital. This column to move light-to have no
h rear-to keep itself mounted from horses in the
at countrv-and to join the centre coIdma, cut its
.e way out if the main object fails.
J. This is what was proposed for you in the
r month of November last, and what pledge
If myself to the President you would perform
Of and nobly have you redeemed the pledge
A. But this was not the first or the only time
r. thai pledged myself for you. AS far back
le as June, 1916, when separate expedition to
~ Chihuahua was first projected. | told the Pres
ident that it was unnecessary-that the Mis-.
i souri, troops under Gen. Kearny would take
Y, that place, in addition TO the conquest of New
J. Mexico--and that he might order the column
h under General Wool to defect to the left, and
,e join Gen. Taylor as soon as he pleased. A
in gain: when received letter from Lieut.. Col.
n Mitchell dated in November last, and inform
At ing me that he was leaving Santa Fe with one
At hundrel men, to open communication with
At Gen. Wool read that letter to the President,
"a and told him that they would do it. And a.
gan: when we heard that Col Doniphan,
=. with thousand men. after curbing the Nava-
2 hos. was turning down towards the south, and
j. threatening the ancient capital OF the Captains
ID General OF the internal provinces, told him
10 they would take it. In short, my confidence
ID in Missouri enterprise. courage, and skill, was