Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1847-06-21
COMMUNICATED ron rIII yIR0INIAy
sohMeNCAiAp 10" INN 'i"siNAN'
From All officer Of lhe Virginia Volunteers
Iaylor's Camp, }
Near MONETARY, Mexico. y

a letter. W e lett anafgo on the 18th OF the Month
and IN ohedience the orders a Gen layer took the
route to this place hy way of China aud taHderota-
This is 10 gteateAtcn "a road aud Nude march
most iatignlne and annoying. There were about lso
wagons under on charge. These had 10 be guarded,
and. IN many places, pushed forward hy the men. At
hlna, we leit Lieut. tu Randolph with SIX conipa-
MES. lleis to lorlly aud garrison thai plaee-tor the
present at least Col. llautamek and Mayor EARLY.
With the other siN COMPANIES, came forward. he com
pan,s heo, Scotl's f. Archer's, Aburtls Robert
sons Nm. b. Archers, aud mine. We reached this
place. (the W anut Spflngs,) lie 2lsl, that
Were Il days making the march from Caniareo. II dis
tahce OF lG0 niles. 1 hr men WcIe good deal Jadod
by the march, but this pleasant camp has revived aud
RESTORED them.
Wien we lett Camargo, it was expected that should
certainly have brush with uca. sumew here the
real. No hostile Mexican showed himself. aud We had
dangers except those Of the road 10 encounter wrote
you em Canargo, that there Lad been tah in tue
country ur many months. | cannot say 50 new. tor
have mo nights ain such rarely falls IN Virgin
Ia One Of the nights company was the rear guard,
and after march u 70 miles, reached Campat dark
just gel in. il commenced raining We turned
to get tents pitched, but with all our hurry, did net
succeed until every thing drcnchcd and them beote
we got Them fully fastened, the wind capsi2ed the Whole
concern, and thus they remained un II morning Most
Of he officers and men went supeess 10 bed. mthor
he'd neither supper or bed got, by great good hek,
little Of 10th. Elem and Wade slept brush fence.
which TN ystt oulire aud did, they say "pey we'll
y
the health Of the 81, companies here Is better tian ta
Of those at CamargU. Our boys much better.
merely mention ouf exposure, 10 let you hnuw that VT
are really soldiers. All want is 10 be in fight;
then we will, Ito use vulgar lhrase.) "have seen tho
Elephant, ;" aud will be ready return home.
Had an opportunity Of writing occurred before reach
ed Cayderela i fear my letter would have been diff
ent tone, for really, up to that time. was thoroughly
Disguised with the country, and began 10 think, like
some here slys: 'lhat, instead Of fighting or Tex
his, ought 10 continue the War, uutil Mexico agrees
to take the whole u it back again" The first day.
march showed us all that to be until came
wilhn 50 miles Of Monterey. The land along the nv
cr is exceedingly rIc of from II is exceedingly poor.
covered With ciapparal without wood or water. We
spring running water. until came within
~ miles of Cayderea, where we found bad spring
low marsly place. At Hacienda, found well and
this the first place that looked like civilization. 1t
belongs 10 Ich Mexican, of pure Casan descent,
who has large establishment and superb estate, all of
hch be irrigated from canal about miles long
leading from the The greatest objection to this
country is that the best lands cannot be cultivated with
any success unless they can be ovofown. II this can
be done, then two crops are raised IN year.
The DAY after we left the Hacienda. (San Isabel we
reached Cayderela where. for the first tne wo saw
pure Mexican town and scene undefaced by cannon.
the musket or the sword, and most exquisite it
was The town contains, suppose, or 10000 inhab
llants and is situated the San Juan river, which Is
there about large the Roanoke below the forks and
a
side by high table land, which we had marched
on The other by Inc Of mountains Of great height and
grandeur. The town. like all Mexican towns. Is laid
in squares and built up with houses story hiah.
flat roofs all the better pa-ecd and whitewas
ed the side The inside OF the squares are filled
with Orange, Lemon, Pomcgranae and other fruit trees
speak but the truth when say the air WIS filled with
perfume from them As marched up the street, for
the first time realized how the letter writers from
this country sent us such glowing accounts of Mexico
can well fancy now how Of vivid imagination
could, III Caydoreia forget his march there aud say that
Mexico is the finest land the sun shines on For even J.
plain matter Of fact am, for time thought So
too, but the delusion did not last long, There no
troops in Caydereta. Gen Patterson there for few
days and or other attachments have passed through.
but all have left it they found il and trust it will
nue so. The day left we came within three miles
of Monterey and of the Camp marching all day
up the Nolley of Monterey, is called then through
the town. the battle field by the Black Fort sight
Of the Bishops Palace to the Camp Of the ORR 1lERo.
Tired weary and sore footed were, when pass
ed this scene, where countrymon had such
honor each stepped fmer and looked prouder and
more of psodier Wei may the people Of the United
States be roud Of the battle Of Monterey and those who
fought it, The taking Of the town consider Of the
greatest fcats Of this age. None appreciate it who
have not seen the place. There Those who found
fault with Gen. Taylor for the caltuleon and say he
ought 10 have taken it. venture to say.if they had
been the two days fight and still had the strongest part
of the city and the fort 10 take. they would have urged
upon the General To sign the capItuIaon. My opinion
(aferseeing the place. is that agreeing 10 the captnla
lion displayed more generaship than any thing he has
done in Mexico. Put $4,000 Americans in ihetown and
all Mexico could moi take it, Each house is a fort; each
corner of the bastion, with all its angles perfect
protected that there would have been font to take
every hundred yards and the taking of each adding moth
ing to the strength of the advancing party 1t would
have been but much distance gained But am talk
ing Of old things and spinning out my letter 10 you, when
oug be writing to others by the train which leaves
in the morning. The day after reached here, went
T. wait ON Gen. Tay Tor, with our Major, Elem and Lieut.
Bryan The General received us quite kindly and like
quiet well bred gentleman His tent is about two hun
bred yards from and just such the officers
Of our regiment have. He is better looking man than
expected see, and talks sensby and pleasantly with
ont any effort at display any desire impress his
hearers with the idea that he is great man From the
little have fhim. Independently Of what have
heard II take him TO he not Of genius, perhaps
not Of the first order Of taeni but certainly man Of
capa sense. great judgement and moral nness. with
well balanced mind and perfect self control, which ne
cossary gives him conlr Of all who are about him aud
admirably qualifying him for the pos, he fills. None
other could govern the men he has 10 deal with as he
d1cs-but Of him hereafter see by the papers
out for the old GENERALLY Well am deeply grieved that
hope he may be beatcn--bu not beaten badly. had
forgotten all politics, but this Information reached
The night before the election, and all the
day in fever thinking til, vote in the district and
in our county. Say to Nj | received her letter.
just such she would write. full lot love and kind
and good advice. If could follow the last, would
deserve the first. also received from = the