The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1847-02-25
THE cAPITrLATrox or MONTEREY.

Fun lie Union q "Wednesday niEht.

Omclal fapen ana Letters.
Fun tie Union Of Wednesday night
Victoria, TaHauliras. MeIiro, Jan. 9. Isl7.
DEAR Sra: Ahsr niueh ,p,rulalion and
no LILLE misrepresentation ahuuI The ga
pilulatlnn II Monterey. prrcti,e by nur
recent newspapers. that dlscussiun has
arisen a. To WIN Is responsible Tor that
transaction. Is 0ne III the commission.
ers who were entrusted by General Tay.
lor with The arrangement 81 he terms up.
on which the cry nf Monterey and lis
Notifications should be delivered to our
fnrces, l have had frequent occasion to re-.
cur 10 the course then adopted, and tho
considerations which led ioi il. Ny iudg-
menI alter thu fact has fully sustained my
decisions ai the date of The occurrence;
aud feeling myssH responsible for the IN
sirnmenI as We prepared and presented u
TO our commanding general, have tho
satisfaction, after all subsequent events, 10
believe that the terms we offered were
expedieni. and honorable, and wise. A
distinguished gentleman with whom ae-
ted on that commission, Governor Hen.
derson, says, in recently published let.
Cr, 81 did not at tke rime. nor do ] sfil
like The terms, hs. artsd n one or The
c"mmi-si nnrrs, together with Gen. Worth
and Colonel Davis. IN carry Out General
faylor's instructions. We ought and
could have made them surrender Al dis
cu,ion." &r., &r.
From each pusHinn taken in the above
paragraph | dissent. The instructions
given by henrtal taylor only presented
hls object, and lived limit IN the pow.
ers oI his commissioners; hence. when
points were raIs,d whlch exceeded nur
discIelIcn. they were referred To- The crm.
manier; buI minor points were atled on.
and finally submitted ~ a pail nf our nt.
goliailon. We fixed the time within which
the Mexican forces Should retire r. m
Monterey. We agreed upon the time NO
would wait inr the dPris nn Of the res.
pertve governments. which I reeeliert
was less BY thirty -l"ur days than The Mex.
ran commissioners asked--Ihe period a.
tlopled heing that which, according To our
estimate, Vas required To bring up the
rear Of "ur army with the ordnance and
supplies nee ssaTy Gr further operations.
did not then, nnr du | now. believe
We could have made the enemy surrtR-
der al discretion. Had | entertained the
opinioirE would have been giseH 70 The
commission, and Ia the commanding gee
neral, and would have pTeelusied me from
signing IN agreement whleh permitted The
garrison To retire with the honars Of war.
Il is demoGsIrahle. frum the position AMI
knnwn pruwpss nj the iva armies, that
we could drive the enemy from The lown
but the town was untenahle whilst, the main
fort tcaI,ed the new cuadell remained in
the hands vt the enemy. Being without
siege artillery or enlrenrhing tools. we
could only hope To carry the fort by storm,
after heavy toss from our army; whwh.
isolated in hostile country. nov numher-
ed less than half the forcrs Of the enemy.
When all this had besn achieved, what
more would we have gained than by the
CdI'i'utduhh
General Taylor's force was ton small
to invest the town. II was. there ore.
always in the power oi the enemy n res
tea. bearing his light arms. thur amy
-p"nIy provided, and with very INSULT
cieni transportation-cnud not have over.
taken, Il they had pursued tie living en-"
emv. Hence the rpnclusiOn that ~ II
vas no, in our power IN capture the main
body Of the Mexican army. II ~ unres"
snnahle to suppose their eenetal would
have surrendered at dIscrettnn. The mo-
raj efIec, of retiring under the capltula.
ton was certainly greater than if the enc
nv had rstreatsd wnhou, our conseEs. BY
this course we secured the large supply
Of ammunition he had collected Ia Mon.
(which. had Tire assault been con-
WINGED. must have been exploded by our
shells, as il was principally stored IN the
Cathedral" which, being supposed 10
be filed with troops. was the especial aim
of our pieces. The destruction which
this explosion would have produced must
have involved the advance Of both diyl'
sinns of our troops; and commend ,his
, tn the contemplation Of those whose Or
gumsn,s have been drawn from Gae,s learn