Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1847-02-03

tain COL Mays loss, or whether ne nae
any men killed or not.
By the present time, there can be nc
doubt, Gems. Taylor, Twiggs, Patterson
and Pillow are at Victoria, and with a
large force. Had Gen. Taylor but par
tyIof five hundred Texan rangers with the
enemy'S cavalry hanging about hin IN al
most every direction they would be Invalu-
able. Picdyune, @4n.
ora correspondent of the Delta, wri-
ting from " Victoria, Jan'y d." gives the
following extracts from his journal of the
march from Monterey TO Victoria:
Jan. Ist.-Between and 8 O'Clock,
P. NJ, Capt. May got in with his dra-
goons. He reports the loss OF / mon and
their horses, and pack mules. As far as
can gather the particulars, and they
come from Capt. May, they are these:-
Between Morales and Linares Capt. May
ascertained that there was a pass in a
gorge of the Mountains, and determined
to ascertain the nature of it. His COM
mand consisted of two companies of dra-
goons-some 20 or 80 men. On APP
preaching the foot Of the mountain, every
precaulion was used to guard against sur
prise. A Lieutenant with IL men acted
as the rear guard and guard of the pack
mules of the command, who remained
some few hundred yards in the rear, and
in this way they progressed slowly and
carefully, until they found out the pass,
which was so narrow that it was with much
difficulty single horse could 60 through
it. But May was determined to traverse
it, and make what discoveries he could on
the other side. Dismouniing himself and
men, he led his horse and the way, after
experiencing much difficulty in getting
from rock to rock, the command ultimately
succeeded in getting through. On the right
hand side of this pass there is a perpen-
dicular cliff of some 900 feet or so high,
as some of the men say, 'that man up
there looked like little boy" On The
left hand, after 10 or ID feet Of perpe n
dicular, there was a gradual slope to the
top, on which an enemy could run down,
fire piece, and one where few deter
mined men could stop the advance oc thou.
sands After going as far as on the other
side as was thought necessary, they turned
to come back, and the main body retraced
their steps with the same caution observed
in effecting the first passage. But the
rearguard were not so lucky in getting
through this time, for it appears after the
Lieutenant and Sergeant got through, a
large body of men, who 1Stational them.
selves on the perpendicular side, shower
ed down stones from the top so fas, and so
heavy, that their advance was completely
cut of; and that they were either killed,
taken prisoners, or made their escape to
to the other side. Il seems that Capt May
was not taken by surprise, for he was con
linuall y urginging vigilance, and left his
best bugler IN the rear to sound the alarm
in case of accident, as though he antici
pated an attack. rumbling sound in
the pass caused him TO halt for the rear
guard, but they not coming up when he
thought it was time for them 10 reach
him, he wheeled about,and went in the d.
reciion of the pass again at full speed
He shortly met the Lieutenant and Ser.
geant, and immediately demanded of the
former, "Where's your men2" The an
swer of the Lieutenant was, "close at
hand" at the same time turning his head
around as if with the expectation of see
ing them just behind him. But there
were none there save the Sergeant, and
the truth Immediately flashed upon the
commander that something was wrong with
them. As quick as thought, and as the
nature of the path would permit, they
dashed off for the pass, end when they
reached it found that large number of
stones had been thrown down, and discov>
cred traces of blood along the defiIe.-
They followed up as fast as possible, but
it was of no avail; they could make no
further discoveries, nor learn any thing of
the fate Of their companions, so they sor-
rowfuliy retraced their steps, and arrived
here as above noticed.
Il is not thought that any regular SOL
diers of the Mexican army had a hand in
this business. Rancheros and banditti. ac-
iuated more by plunder than any thing else,
are believed to have cut them off, thinking
probably that there was of more value than
what thew obtained. In the hands of such
men, the fate of the prisoners is doubtful,
though they would be perfectly safe in
in failing into the hands of an officer of
the army.
Jan 4h.-About 10 o'clock this morn.
ing we reached Victoria, which, according
10 my account, is 202 miles from Monte
rey; and this was performed in the short
space OF IL days. Taking every thing
into consideration, the march TO and from
Monte Morales ION return march) the
ong train of wagons, the pack mules, and
he Mexicans OK carts, and | do not be- |
ieve better time was ever made by an