Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1847-11-24

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cessfully carred-here, amid the .IIalls of tn
MonteZumas," the numerically insignificant han,
OF Anglo-Sa%ons has found partial rest from il
tolls and It's dangers, breathing place after its in
Vulnerable trials and pers. Nor the chronicle o
ancient wars. nor the powers of modern achieve
ments, furnish parallel to the second conquest O.
MEXICO. while the lus,rc which hung around tho
name o, Oo,'es and his hardy adventures, bun;sh
ed by the glowing description of Prescott becomes
dlmmed by The deeds of these latter DAYS
You in the United States cannot he made TO feel
and appreciate all that stern and unflinchinp courace
has effected in the beautiful valley of Mexico since
our little army first enteredit-words are inadeouate
to give even faint picture of the brilliant scces
SION ol events which have ended in the subsection
of this proud capital. The deeds of Cortes. brave
d"u vigorous as they were, must suffer by com
parlson. The hardy aud adventurous Spaniard
surrounded by his hosts of Tlascalan and other al
lies, brought agencies then deemed supernatural to
the WORK, had all the engines and appliances Of
modern war ut his disposal, and fought against an
enemy superstitlous and awe stricken, and provided
only with the ruder implements Of battle. Grant
that they were brave-but their bravery was OF
piece with that of the llindoo widow who fearless
ly and INCREASINGLY chaunts her own death sonp ON
the grave of her lifeless husband. The followers
OF the Aztec nonarchs, Of Montezuma and of eau
temozln. offered themselves sacrifices 10 their j.
dolls. The mass, when all hopes Of victory had
banshed sill continued TO fight, it is true but in
their onsla,phs upon the iron ranks of the Chris
tans they we're hut fulfilling their own destiny, and
rushing upon doom that was inevitable. The al
tars OF then gods demanded yearly and even daily
sacrlflces ltng before the advent of the strangers
the demands were now increased, yet the victims
were ever ready. True follower Of the cross &C.
casionaliy ell, horne down by some avalanche of
pagan warriors; but for every drop of Christian
blood river wond flow, and well did Cortes know
that III the lend he must conquer. His calculations
were baset upon mathematics, and in the problem
OF lie and death he foresaw that the result would
be in his fvor. Science, severe discipline strange
animals bestrode by powerful man, lnvulnerable ar
NOR, all the appliances which make war terrible
love of god, and blind religious zeal--these, all
these, wee pitted against undiscplined, unmailed
and comparatively unarnied masses-and the results
OF such Encounters were known even before the
eyes OF tie shrewd and calculating Castilian rested
upon the rich valleys of Anahuac
But widely different was it when short two
months snce the second conquerors first came i'm
sight of The domes and turres of Mexico In some
respects the cases may have been parallel The
Anglo SaXons were cut off from all succor and SUP
port from home, and had naught but their own
stout helris and strong arms to depend upon but
they at not coats of mail and fire arms in the DAYS
OF the INST conqucrOTS terrible, with which to op
pose cotton shirts and bows and arrows On the
placable enemy, an enemy provided with the same
means Di attack and resistance as themselves
strongly fortified immensely superior in numbers
pretending to the highest advancement of civili2a-
ton, chlvalry and valor, fighting for home and fire
s,dcS aud lnSoent In his tancicd strength and secu
rty. Dreastwor'i and barricade were to be aSsail-
ed from causeway and open field, and auxares
the Americans had none as was the case with the
early Spaniards. The Yankee invaders found the
valley brlsiilng with bayoneIs, against which bay
onets were 10 be opposed at every avenue they
found heavy cannon in position to check their adj
vance, and at disadvanageous points only could
they plant their guns for the attack. They had
before them city of two hundred thousand nhab-
tans-a city In which every house was fortress ;
they had a population melted against them by a
thousand and one idle tales and calumnies-bv Sc
ries OF bruta!ties and excuses they were said to
have committed, and which they were advancing
to repeat; population which had learned the sci
ges of Saguntum and Saragossa by heart, and in
their exceeding pride of valor doubtless thought
they were TO rival, if not excel, the deeds enacted
by the defenders OF those valiant cities With the
least reverse it understood that the Americans
were TO be massacred-the brutal murder of on,
wounded men at Ell Moline proves the savage inten
tOn-and thus our army had emphaticaliy nothing
but ''vctory or DEATH before it. The result, as
every one knows, was victory-victory most COIN
/ pleie-the entire prosiration of an enemy al
Ho"ei'pl l" "upeiS duu PoSltoh, III not IN pTOWeSS
The evidence is that we are here, and Santa Anna
proud army is scattered and DESTROYED vet still al
/ appears like dream. The long roll may sound 70
an hour and scarce 1000 abe-bod men will flocl
to the alarm call yet they are masters of the hear
of the Republic. The page that records the histor,
of this campaign will be deemed doubtful one i
after times it will be difficult to credit that hand
ful of men numbering only 10000, with net thirt
pieces of artillery, all told, discomftted and drov
$4,000 men protected by all the subtle,ies of eng
neerlng, and with three times their number of hea
Wy guns: yet the proofs of Holy Writ are NJ
stronger. The result of tho two campaigns again
MeXico-that OF the early Spaniards and the Yar
kees-has been the same-thc subjuga,ion and o.
cupaton Of the capital it now remains to be sec
how the world will compare the two achievement
Yours, Sc, G.. w. X.
, CRY OF Mexico, Oct 20, lS47.