The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-02-03

|
capuaon above set forth executed the part OF
the American commissioners by the order Of their
mandlng general.
| II will be asked, what new light had Gen TAYLOR re-
ceiyed to cause this tremendous revolution in his
| yiews' 1t IS answered, none Had the enemy, in
the mean hme, been reinforced' No; not by a.
single man Had our own troops exhibited mutinous
feeling, or expressed desire to retire from the contest
Mo- but on the contrary, the whole army were eager to
unconditional submission Was General Taylor IN
iuced to change his views by the persuasion of his
mlssloners, or by the arguments OF other officers No
and so far from this Major General Henderson, Govern
or OF leXas as of the commissioners TO negotiate
The terms oil population, demonstrated against the adop
ton OF any other conditions than those first demanded of
Ampuda, and earnestly assured Gen Taylor that the
bexlcans would soon be compelled to surrender dis
creton and that, il he persisted in the demand the
envy would accept the terms first proposed without the
firing OF another gun! Had General Taylor in the mean
time taken the town No; for he tells General
Gaines, 'liad we been put to the alternative of taking the
place BY storm, tchih there is no doubt should haze
succeeded an doing) should in all probability have
lost hiy ora hundred men in killed. besides the wounded,
which wished to AVOID there appeared to be pros
pect OF peace even if distant one.
10 be expected that the astonishment, if
ignaton, which has been expressed at the of the
captulaon should call forth such explanations and
could be assigned for the extraordinary course
pursued In Gen Taylors letter to Gen Gaines, recent
y and most unadvsedly thrown before the public, this
task is attempted and sundry reasons therein given,
IN justification OF his action II is proposed to glance al
these reasons and to make such comments upon each as
may be suggested by circumstances The following
the generals reasons Tor agreeing to the articles oil ca
| pitulaon:
T. Because Anpudia told him the Mericans acere all
disposed for peace and that The United States had pro-
| posed 10 settle the war by negotiation.
| To say nothing of the imprudence of placing
6dence in the declarations of Mexican in such
position, the policy proclaimed by the administration and
which had been and again reiterated required
that the most energetic operations should not cease until
peace absolutely established between the two gov
emments, and that there should be cessation OF hos
ties, eren during he negotiation of a treaty and in
General
mtted TO Congress with the report of the Secretary of
War; was constrained TO say that the terms of the
But Independent OF the orders OF the government did not
Ampuda contradict his declarations by pertnacous
y insisting that his should be permitted to march
of with their arms and ACCOMPLISHMENTS of war? If peace
about to be re-established, why would he not
sent to leave behind him the arms of his soldery'
g Because ms hoops mere feicer IN number than the
Mericans. and his heauy artillery rcas limited
Let the three or four thousand American soldiers left at
Camargo and the thousands of others along the Rio
terey-et them answer, if they would not have supplied
this deficiency, had they not been commanded remain
IN the rear to langush in orous the banks
OF the Rio Bravo? Gen. Taylor marched for Monterey,
leaving at Camago some three four thousand men,
painting to advance, and whose officers besought Gen.
Taylor to permit them to proceed Monterey lay but
hundred and forty miles beyond Camago and these towns
are connected by an excellent road, and such was the
enthusiasm OF the men, that most cheerully would they
have drawn the heavy artillery themselves had they been
permitted to do So II no part OF the 100 mules which
he states IN his letter to General Gaines with him.
could have been spared for this purpose So great and
universal the eagerness advance upon Monterey
that even officers and men, PROSTATE under sickness,
sprang upon their feet and, with toerng STEP sought
the quarters OF General Taylor to beg permission to
company him. But no: the commanding general did not
believe that any resistance would be offered to his taking
possession OF Monterey; and therefore was it, that he
left in the thousands of his troops and his heaviest
pieces of artillery IT, therefore, the number of his men,
or the want OF proper artillery compelled General Taylor
to submit to the terms agreed upon he is compelled to
bear the responsibility arising from the absence of the
nor ,f
which was left behind at Camargo
3; third reason assigned for submitting to the terms
aroid the destruction Of acomen and children uiio must
hare been very great had the ormng process been resored
TO-"
This certainly very humane consideration, but
its force sdesroyed by the fact Of Gen. Taylors refusing
permission to those women and children to leave
the city, and thus escape all the danger The following
letter from the governor OF Monterey to Gen. Taylor
plains itself
Your excelency having resolved to occupy this place
BY force Of arms and the Mexican to de
sands OF victims, who from their poverty and want OF
who wond be uselessy sacrificed, claim the rights which
in all times and in 81! countries humanity holds sacred
sentative othe people thereof now address yonr excel
ency and hope, from your regard to humanity, and
that whatever may be the result Of the present struggle
you will give orders that the resident families shall be
from this capital
81 have the honor salute exeeleney, general,n
chief ofhe army Of occupation of the United States, and to
assure you of my highest consideration
God and liberty Monterey, September %, 1916, 81
s'FRANCIsoo DE P. MORALES.
$40 the CiEyERAI.Iy-CHEF
"Of the army of occupation of the United States"
In referring TO the request contained in the above letter
Gen Taylor in his official despatch of September 25,
says, Tin the documents transmitted to Congress- "Io
is communication deemed my duty to return an an
declining TO doc the inhabifanst TO Leave the citg
1t may well be asked what powerful cause produced this
sudden change in the mind of Gen Taylor relative to the
safety of the and children of Monterey If their
safety really required him to grant Ampuda the terms
agreed upon then is Gen. Taylor still responsible for not
having permitted the women and children to depart the
city, requested in the letter OF the governor Of New
to storm without the danger alluded to.
H. Another reason assigned by General Taylor for
agreeing the terms of capulaton, the fact that
had he been Obliged TO take e city by Storm 1t lco,d haze
cost Me hves Of tfty or one bundled Of has men
This reason scarcely be valid one because Ampu-
da had already communicated to General Taylor that he
bad made all the defence which he could make of the
city 1t is demonstrated from all the intelligence from
the army, that the city would have been surrendered
without firing another gun, the loss of another life,
had General Taylor not been credulous regard to Am
pudas assurances, and had he insisted upon his original
terms. Are the present advantages resulting from
the battle at Monterey half great as they would
to surrender at discretion All unprejudced men
must answer in the negative; and therefore, unless
Gen Taylor paid too dearly for the possession of Monte
rey, the unconditional surrender OF the enemy, with the
inevitable despair of success which must thereupon have
taken possession OF the minds OF the Mexican people,
would have been worth the hazard of renewing the
lct But so far from the loss of fifty hun
dred lives we have the opinion of Major General Hen
derson Ian old citizen of Texas and acquainted with the
Mexican character and their mode OF warfare) that Am