The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1847-01-15
'phe Critical Situation or General Worth
The Threatened Attack on SaltilIO.

The threatened AtLuck on Saitllos
We gave the details of the last intelligence
from the seat Of war in yesterdays Herald, and
they appeared to absorb the attention of the pub
lie throughout the day. 1t is almost universally
supposed that a terrible battle was fought about
Christmas at Satllo, between Santa Anna with
his twenty or thirty Thousand troops, and Generals
Taylor and Worth, with five or six thousand
Americans.
tits universally supposed that a battle must have
taken place, but still it will do no harm, previous
to receiving any news of the conflict, to examine
little into dates and distances There is yet,
perhaps, chance, that the recent intelligence
from the Rio Grande has been considerably ex-
aggerated.
The scouts of Gen. Worth discovered Santa
Annals army about the l4th ofDecember, at a dis
lance of 60 miles from Saltillo. Very well. Now
deduct 60 miles from 3O0-the distance between
Satilo and San Luis de Potosi--and 24O remain:
or the distance Santa Anna had gone since the
day he had left San Luis de Potosi. Santa Anna,
if celebrated for any thing, is celebrated for his
rapid marches; on one occasion he marched 80
miles in "a hours. But over bad road, like that
between San Luis and Saltlo, he could not ae-
cemplish more than 80 miles ay, for a sd c.
cession of days; whence it is clear that Santa
Anna, (supposiug the statement of Gen. Worths
spies to be correctly must have left San Luis on
the 9th of December. Yetletters from San Luis
dated the 18th of December, have been received
at New Orleans, which contain no alusion to
Santa Annals departure.
II is true, as the editor of New Orleans paper
suggests, that all letters containing illusions to
Santa Annals expedition, may have been exam.
incd at San Luis Potosi. But one would think
that the news would ooze out in some way.
News of this kind generally spreads like wdfire
The departure from San Luis, of twenty or thirty
thousand men, would be known to every inhabi-
tant of the city. Tampico is only 200 miles from
San Luis. Surely General Shields at Tampico
must have received, long ago, intimation of Santa
Annals proceedings, and if he had received such
intimation, who can doubt but that he would
have Immediately forwarded the news to Brazos
Santiago?
Scouts, however intelligent, sometimes exagge-
rate the number OF troops perceived by them.
The twenty thirty thousand Mexcans dis
covered by the scouts of Gen. Worth, may on
closer inspection, have dwindled down to ten
thousand That Santa Anna ha. sent large
force to Saltlo, is very probable. There are
two reasons why he should do this. In the first
place, he might, by keeping large force in the
environs of Saltillo prevent the junction of Gene
RAYS Worth and Wool. In the second place, he
might thereby deter Gen. Taylor from prosecuting
his march on Victoria.
Our readers will rccollect that some three or
four thousand cavalry appeared in the vicinity of
Saltillo, soon after its occupation by General
Worth. 1t is probable that this force may form a
portion of the hypothetical army of twenty or
thousand Mexcans.