The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1847-03-24
FROM NEW MEXICO.

FROM NEW MEXICO.
The following important intelligence.
received by the CORES pondentufihe Epcn.
ing Nc,Ds, from Philadelphia. via Pi,tSburr,
by Telegraph. sliews that our forces in that
section of Mexico ure in most critical DO.
sltioD, aud that the next accounts from
that quarter will probably lie melancholy,
inasnnch as there is every prospect that a
dreadful massacre will be the result.
PITTsBuReH, MARCH l6.
By river we lave ST. Luis papers four
days in advance Of mail, with dates from
Shnth re covering important news. There
has been an extensive Mexican in surrpcliun
Ut Taos. All the Spaniards who eyinccd
my sympathy with The American cause
had been compelled 10 escape.
Gov. Benz, Stephen Lee, Acting Sheriff.
Gen. Elliott Lee, Henry Seal, and twenty
Americans were killed, and their families
despoiled. The Chief lcade was also kin.
ell. This oil occurred on the l7th January.
The insurrec,ion nade frrmidable he.d.
way, and the tlisnfIec,ion was rapitIlv
spreading. The einsurrec,ionsls were sen.
ding expresses out all over the country tn
raise assistance. The number engaged IN
the outbreak atruos was about 600. Thew
were using every argument to inci,e the
Indians To hossilities, and were making
Fe. " -
The Americans n, Santa Fe, had only
about 5OO effective men there, the rest
were on the sick list, or had left 10 inin
Col. Donphun. Such being their situation
they camnot send sucror out, as they are
hardly able to defend themselves. 1, is
lhoug ut that Santa Fe must he captured
as neither Ihr For, Or Block Houses are
completed.
1t is announced as the intention Of The
insurrectIonists who captured Taos. to
take possession Of the government wagon
trains, which ure carrying fnrwartl our sup.
plies. and thus cut off MI communication.
The representations made To C"l. Duni-
plan, that chihuahua would be an easv
conquest, wcro evidently intended as a lure
tn cntrap him, begct spirit Of security,
and lead him far off into the inferior, where
he might be easily cut off
1t is the universal opinion in Santa Fe
that if General Wool had g"nc direc, 10
Chihuahua there would have been no irnu.
bic in New Mexico. Col. D"niphan had
possession Of EI Passo Del Nnrlc or The
ct, from the Governor Of Chhuahua, sta
ting that Gen. Wool was within three days
march Of The capital. This, too. was an
other ruse 10 lure Col. Donphan on in
confidence, and cut him off from all chan.
ces Of escape. or Of falling back upon San
In Fe, to relieve il in its eme rgcncy.
The Mexicans nre bold in their tone and
confident Of capturing Col. Doniphnn anil
his command, which consists Of abnu, 600
men. 500 Of them being ofhis own tro"ps,
the first egimenl ofmnunlcd Missouri vol
unteers, and detachment 100 men from
Santa Fe, under command Of Lieut.. Col.
Mitchell. Of the 2'l egiment-con consisting n(
80 men from Clark's battalion Of light ar,il-
Iery. under command of Capt. Hudson and
Lieut.. Krihben, and 10 from Col. Prices
regiment and Col. Wilirck's balaIun. They
assert that they will massucrc every Amer
lean in New Mexico and cunliscate all their
goods.
A letter from Lieut. Albert U. S. Topo-
graphical Engineer, Of later 6aie, confirms
all the above intelligence. The details Of
the bn,ile OF Bracito are alsu confirmed
The massacre, beyond doubt, has been II
horrible one, Of which we have rs vet
heard but the brginning; aud the insurrec.
ton has been kept so quiet until ell was
ready for the outbreak, that our handful Of
troops there mus, be demolished. befnre
any effort can be made 10 relieve them from
the most advanced Of our Western military
posts.