Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-11-12
From Tie National LrteAigeocer.
Dispatches from Major Downing.
Cry OF Mexico, UNITED STATES, D

DCopdlClleo HUN IldJ0l DVN hIiS.
s'. Cry OF Mexico, UNITED STATES,
-..A .tf aei. September 81, 1917.
Mn. GALES e. SEAroN My dear old
friends, I'm alive yet, though I've been th:o'
showers of balls as thich as hailstones. !
got your, paper containing my letter that |
wrote on the road to the war. The letters |
wrote afterwards, the guerrillas and robbers
are so thick, | think it's ten chances to one
it you got 'em. Some Of Gineral SCOTS let
ters is missing just in the same way. Now
we've got the city of Mexico annexed, |
think the Post Master General ought to have
a more regular line Of stages running here,
so our letters may 90 safe. ] wish you would
touch the President and Mr.. Johnson up a
little about this mail-stage business, SO they
may keep all the colchmakers at work, and
see that the farmers raise horses as fast as
they can, for / don't think they have any
idea how long the roads is this way, nor how
fast we are gaining south. If we keep on
~annexin as fast as we have done a year or
two past, it wouldn't take much more than
half a dozen years to get clear down TO 10th
er end of South America, clear TO Cape Horn,
which would be a very good stopping place;
for then, if our Government got into bad
sledding in North America, and found them
btlNeo III d ulltIilud lildL Hduu ! ip NUN ~
suit 'en, they would have a horn in South
America that they might hold on 10.
| hope there amt no truth in the story that
was buzz'd about here in the army, a day or
two ago, that Mr.. Polk had an idea, when
we get through ~annexin down this way, OF
trying his hand at it over in Europe and Africa,
and round there. And, 10 prevent any quar-
relling before hand about it on this side of
the water, he's agolng 10 agree to run the
Missouri compromise line over there, and
cut Europe up into free States and Africa in
to slave States. Now, | think he had better
keep still about that till we get this South
America business all done, and we'll tied mp.
1t isn't well for a body to have too much bu-
siness on hands at once. There's no know
ing what little ~flurfies we may get into yet,
and there's always danger it you have too
much sail spread in a squall. However, l
haven't time to talk about this now.
You will get the accounts of the battles in
Gineral SCOTS letters, so | needn't say a
great deal about them. But it's been a hard
uphill work all the way from Vera Cruz
here and | DOM think my old friend Cine
raj Jackson himself would have worked thro'
all the difficulties and done the business up
better than Gineral Scott has. But the kill
ed and the wounded, the dead and the dying,
~ uiObS nv W " NV ~
miles, it's a heart-aching thought. | don't
love to think about it. 1t is too bad that we
didn't have more men, so as to march straight
through without fighting, instead of having
Jest enough to encourage the enemy to bring
out their largest armies and fight their hard
est battles.
One of the hardest brushes we had, after I
got here, was the attack on Chapultepec. /
had been into the city trying to bring Santa
Anna to terms but, when | found it was no
use, l come out and told Gineral Scott there
was no way but to fight it out, and, although
] was only the Presidents private embassa-
dor, | didn't like to stand and look on when
he was so weak-handed, and if he would tell
me where TO take hold | would give him a
lift. The Gineral said he expected there
would be a hard pull to take Chapultapec,
and as General Pillow was placed where he
would be likely to have the heaviest brunt of
it, | might be doing the country a great SER
vice if | would jine in with General Pillow,
as nv experience under Gineral Jackson and
insigt into military affairs would no doubt be
very useful to that valiant officer. So took
hold for that day as ono of Gineral Pillows
aids.
When we come to march up and see how
strong the enemy's works was, says |, Gin
eral Pillow it is as much as all our lives is
worth to go right straight up and storm that
place in the face and eyes Of all their guns
l think we ought to fortify a little. Suppose
we dig a ditch round here in front Of the enc.
my's works. At that the Gincral's eye flashed
and he swore right out. Says he, mo, Dr.
the bitches, I've no opinion of 'em they are
nothing but a bother, and never ought to BIZ
used. The best way is to go right into the en-
envy pell NELL So, on we Went, and Pillow
fit like a tiger till he got wounded, and thel
the rest of US that wasn't shot down had +
finish the work up the best way we could.
The long and the short OF it is, we fit on
way into the city of Mexico and annexed il
Santa Anna cleared out the night afore wit
what troops he had left, and is securing abou
the country to get some more places read
for us to annex. When he gets another plac
all ready for the and gets it we
fortified, and has an army of twenty or thirt
thousand men in the forts and behind IN
breastworks, we shall march down unon Ser
with five or SIX thousand men and 90 throup
the furry. After they have shot down abo1
half of US, the rest OF us will climb in, ovt
the mouths of their cannon, and annex thu
place; and so on, one after another.
1t is pretty hard work a%nnexin in this way
but that is the only way it can be done.
will be necessary for the President TO kee
hurrying on his men this way to keep OF
ranks full, for we've got a great deal
ground to 90 over yet. What we've anne,
ed in Mexico, SO far, isn't but a mere circun
stance to what we've got to do.
Some think the business isn't profitable
but it's only because they haven't clphere
into it fur enough to understand it. Upo
on ,ve,acp Wa Get a. lest ten 10 crs icf o.