The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1847-02-06

: iardiy he the case Tor many years L
come. Without large reinforcement
of volunteers from the United States :
say, ten orfiI.een thousand, Those pre-
: viousl y sent out having already beer
greatly reduced by sickness and othe
casualties. do not believe it would b,
advisable to march beyond SaItillo
which is more than 200 miles beyonc
our depots on The Rio iGrande,-a very
long line on which to keep up supple.
over land route, IN country like
this for large force, and certain tc
be attended with an expense which viii
be frightful to contemplate, when close
ly looked into. p" 'f-"
! From Saltillo TO San Luis Potosi, the
next place of Importance on the road
to the city Of Mexico, is three hundred
milestone hundred and forty badly
watered, where no supplies of any kind
couli be procured for man or horse.
have Informed the War Department
that 10000 efficient men would be ne
cessary to insure success if we move
on that place. ia city containing pop
ulatlon of 60,0OO, where the enemy
could bring together and sustain, be,
sides the citizens, an army Of 5O,OOO,]
force which, apprehend, will hardly
be collected by US with the train ne
cessary to feed it, as well as to trans
port various other supplies. particular
ly ordnance and munitions of war.
In regard to the armistice, which
would have expired, by limitation, in a
few days, we lost nothing by it, as we
could not move even now, had the enc
my continued to occupy SaIllllo; for,
strange to say, the first wagon which
has reached me since the declaration Of
war, was on the Cd inst, the same day
on which ] received from Washington
an acknowledgement of my despatch
announcing the taking ofMonterey; and
then | received only 1876, SO that !
have been, since May last completely
crippled; and am still so, for want Of
transportation. After rakingand scrap
ing the country for miles around Cam.
argo, collecting every pack-mule and
other means of transportation, ! could
bring here only 10000 ratlons, fifteen
days. supply.] with moderate supply
of ordnance, ammunition, &C., to do
which, all the corps had to leave be-
hind portion of their camp equlpage
necessary for their comfort--and, in
some instances among the volunteers.
their personal baggage, moved in such
Il way, and with such limited means,
that had | not succeeded, should no
doubt have been severely reprimanded,
if nothing worse. did SO to sustain
the administration. y + n
Ofthe two regiments ofmounted men
from Tennessee and Kentucky, who
left their respective States TO join me,
in June, the latter has just reached Ca
margo; the former had not gol TO Mat
amoras at the latest dates from there.
Admitting that they will be as long in
returning as in getting here, 10 say
of the time necessary 10 re-
cruit their horses, and were to be dis
charged in time to reach their homes.
ley could serve in Mexico but very
short time. The foregoing remarks are
not made with the view of iiuding fault
with any one, hut to point out .he dIill-
cultles with which have had to con.
tend. .|'.. ..
Monterey. the capital of New Leon,
is situated on the San Juan river where
it comes out of the mountans--the city
(which contains population of about
twelve thousand being in part sur
rounded by ,hem--at the head of a
large and beautiful valley. The houses
are of stone, in the Moorish style, with
fat roofs, which, with their strongly en-
closed yards and gardens in high stone
walls, all lsoped for musketry, make
them each a fortress within itself. 1t
is the most important place in north
ern Mexico, Tor on the east side OF Ser-
IA Madre,] commanding the only pass
or road for carriages from this side be-
tween it and the Gulf of Mexico, to the
table lands of the Sierra, by or through
which the city of Mexico can be
reached. ". u..
81 much fear shall have exhausted
your patience before you get half
through this long and uninterestlng let
ter. If so, you cen only commit 1t to
the flames, and think no more about it,
as | write in great haste, besides being
interrupted every five minutes; so that
you must make great allowances for
blots, interlineations, and blunders, as
well as want of connexion in many
parts Of the same. 'H.0 Aia ah''4 'H'
Be so good as to present me most
kindly to your excellent lady, and ac-
cept nv sincere wishes for your contin-