Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1847-11-12
Dispatches from Major Downing.
Cry OF Mexico, UNITED STATES,
Se,,fo,ohcr Of I9i7


Of balls as thick as hailstones. got your paper
containing my letter that wrote on The road to
the war. The letter wrote afterwards, the
guerrillas and robbers are so thick, think, It's
ten chances to one il you got EN- Some Of
Gineral SCOTS letters is missing lust In the same
way. Now we've got the city Of Mexico annex
ed, think the Postmaster General ought TO
have a more regular line Of stages running here,
so our letters may 90 safe. ! wish you would
touch the President and Mr. johnson up little
about this mnil-stage business, so they may keep
all the coachmakcrs at work, and see that the
farmers raise horses as fast as they can, for
don't think they have any idea how long the
roads is this way, nor how fast we are gaining
SOUTH If we keep on anncxin as fast as we
have done year or two past, il wouldn't take
much more than half dozen years to get clear
down to tother end of South America, clear to
Cape Horn, which would be very good stop
ping place for then, if our Government got in.
to bad shedding in North America, and found
themselves in dilemma that hadn't no horn TO
suit EN-, they would have horn in South Amer
lea that they might hold on to.
hope there amt no truth in the story that
was buxE'd about here in the army, day or two
ago, that MIR Folk had an idea, when we get
through annexin down this way, of trying his
hand at itoyer in Europe and Africa, and round
there. And, to prevent any quarrelling before
hand about it on this side OF the water, he's ago
ing TO agree to run the Missouri compromise line
over there, and cut Europe up into free States
and Africa into slave States. isss, think he
had better keep still about that till we get this
South America bushes all done, and well tied
up IL isn't well for body to have too much
business on his hands at once. There's no know
ing what little Aurries we may get into vet, and
there's always danger if you have too much sail
spread IN squall. However, havnt time to
talk about this now.
You will get the accounts OF the battles in
Gineral SCOTS letters, SO l needn't say great
deal about them. But its been hard uphill
work all the way from Vera Cruz here; and
don't think my old friend Gineral jackson him
self would have worked through all the difficult
ties and done the business up better than Giner-
al scott has But the killed and the wounded,
the dead and the dying, it's a heart-aching
thought. don't love to think about it. Ii is too
bad that we didn't have more men, so as to march
straight through without fighting, instead of hay-
ing Just enough to encourage the enemy to bring
out their largest armies and fight their hardest
battles
One of the hardest battles we had after / got
here,was the attack on Chapultepec. had been
INTO the city trying TO bring Santa Anna to
terms but, when found il was no use come
out and told Gineral Scott there was no way but
to fight it out and, although was only the
Presidents private ambassador didn't ike to
stand and look on when he was so weak-handed,
and Il he would tell me where TO take hold j
would give him lift The Gineral said he ex-
pected there would be hard pull 10 take Cha.
Pultepee, and as Gneral Pillow was placed where
he would be likely to have the heaviest brunt of
II, might be doing the country great service
If would jine in with Gineral Pillow, as nv
experience under Gineral jackson and insight
INTO military affairs would no doubt be very USE
fui to that valiant officer. So took hold for
that day as one of Gineral Pillows aids.
:, When we come to march up and see how strong
me enemys works were, says l, Gnera Pillow
1t is as much all our lives is worth to 90 right
straight up and storm that place in the face and
eyes OF all their guns: think we ought to forti-
~ little. Suppose we dig ditch round here
IN front OF the enemy's works. At that the
GineraPs eyes flashed, and he swore right out
Says he, mo, d-n the bitches, I've no opinion
OF EN-; they are nothing but bother, anu new
err ought to be used Tie best way is to 60 right
into the enemy pell mel" So, on we went, and
Pillow fit like a tiger till he got wounded, and
then the rest of us that wasn't shot down had to
finish the work up the best way we could.
The long and the short of it is, we fit our way
into the city of Mexico and annexed it. Santa
Anna cleared out the night afore with what
troops he had left, and is securing about the
country to get some more places ready for us to
annex. When he gets another place all ready
has an army ~ t,rent, or .h;,,, ,l,orsard mo-,
in Tho forts and heb;nJ ,bo hraa.,,sls -" . ss
march down ,'r,on ,au, VIZ. s,,o w , sum,
men and co ,blonat .ho an a aann .Sn''h Sanu
shot down. aiout ba,f ~ -. ,ho s. e - Nh In
Climb in over tho n,n,,hs ~ .ho;r osnu 10 WA
annex dat ,,Ioca and 30 on y, . nnn acar ono,har
7, i nra,,,, -, - 1880 ~, ~ a.
In, al = X M, ' :. a IN Il ~ "' "a! ,i
he Necessary for Ike Pyes;den, 70 Zen h,,rrv;na
on III men ,bs was, 70 Laar o,' ~ eli ~
~eyo ao s nrs wy 70 seeP our rams ,u,' lor
mere c;rcyn,.tanoa 10 10, 800 nn, - a. '1
Some th;nL ,ha S,,s-s a; 49,. W ,'s,;,s,,o Ia,
;ts only hanansa ,ha. hsrs;nt oynSareJ NJ ~; \.
fur eno,cJ 70 ,,naars;.nd 4 ITnan a., s,araos
We cot az least Ten ~ one for anr ontIav a1y
wsy vo,, can Sonre Il mn mean n tbe
mater Of neon,a TAKE fdr instance ,ha c;,,
of MEXICO. II costs ms only two or three tbo,;.
sand men To annex n AFTER we cot into the
ne;gbborbood Of Il and we net AZ least n HIM.
dred and fifty Thousand neopie IN that city. and
some put Il down ms big6 as two hundred tbou.
sand Some find fanlt with The olol;tv NJ the