Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-09-25
PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE.
Eairact Of a Letter from a private in The Virginia
Regiment Of Volunteers 10 his relative in This
cifU. dofed

EIFdcI 0 q Letter from a private an the Virginia
Regiment Of Volunteers 10 his relative in this
city, dated
CAMr AT BUESA VISTA, (MrxIco,)
august 20, ls47.
information was yesterday received in camp that q Mexi
can force Of considerable strength had made lis appearance in
she vicinity OF Parras, some sixty miles above here. The in
formation was brought express by a Mexican spy in the en-
ploy OF our General. He has many such. Scouting parties
Were sent out, and a squadron of rangers, with orders to as
certain the number and character Of the enemy. Some OF
them will probably be back to-day, when we will know some
thing of the matter, There are now three regiments Of vol
unteers here, mississippi, Virginia, and North Carolina, and
no lack Of Dragons, light artillery, rangers, &C., aud it would
require an immense force TO carry the pass against us. But OF
all this anon. | must not, however, forget to mention that
the Virginia regiment, with its thirteen companies, (the
largest, and, some say, the best drilled OF which is our own,
the 18th and last is the crack regiment, both for strength
and drill, to say nothing Of the general size and appearance of
the men, for there is many a sx-fooer 10 be seen in our line
who seems scarcely taller than his comrades. Col. HAM
raAMcK, the head Of the regiment, is a most excellent drill
officer, perfectly familiar with the infantry exercise in dvi-
slons OF any size, and has already brought his regiment to what
may be called a good state of drill. Gen. WooL builds largely
on US, and, in case Of a :" fandango, |" ours would almost DER
tainly be the post of danger and hard work. True, all his
talk may be idle, and, while ] write, it may be that Peoce,
Peace, which has been the burden of every ones song at
home and abroad, for two or three months past, has at length
In good earnest spread her slken wings to soar once more oer
the two countries. We of these parts have, however, praty
much gwen out that idea and, while we have no expectation
Whatever OF an encounter with a heavy army Of the enemy,
we have no doubt that parties-guerrilla parties-will keepus
somewhat employed, and claim at our hands a passing notEe.
Every train that passes from Camargo to Monterey, or from
Monterey to Sahillo, Is, watched from their mountain passes
and recesses by these cowardly d~epredators during its whole
route, but they rarely dare an attack, and never without over
w~helming odds. But if a few Teran rangers-say twenty or
thirty-are sent off with a train, and placed (their proper
Post) in the advance, that train goes safely through. A Ian
sieres (lancers) fear Of a ranger is most remarkabe-re-
markable even 10 righteousness, as we learn from the Next
cans ABOUT here. l would not be surprised to see a dozen ran
gers, with their rough, uncouth, broad-brimmed, but shape
Lace and .lnr,b uyhita ~ hate (na,,I.a~ - o...ol, \ l.
fronts turned and fastened full up and aside, to permit the
seemingly reckless but really quick and observant eye in
the sunburnt countenances beneath to have full scope, their
red or fancy-colored shirts, their equally fnnciful pantaloons,
from the handsome Mexican buckskin Of green, black, vel
low or blue, to the common American domestic, their rifles
Chat most valuable of all their property hanging by the sides
OF as good horses and as fast ones as the service can produce,
and their huge bowie knives in their sheaths, in close COM
pany with rifle and pistols-I say, | would not be surprised
to see a dozen such fellows charge down, and, after a crack of
their rifles, race with ease a couple of hundreds Of the yellow
skins, with their lances as long as the mast of a small sloop.
Indeed, all Mexicans, whether friendly or in arms, are dread
fully afraid of them. A few words will explain why, and as
1t is very rarely that these things see the light, even in the inn
mediate neighborhood of the army, or of a town, it may be
well to give you some idea of what is horrid fact. In their
capacity OF rangers, the Texans, Of course, have an almost
boundless field of movement. If sent out from q city OF a
camp they are never expected to return before or until after
night, or the next day. If attached to a train, they are only ex-
pected to show themselves occasionally, to signify that they
are on the alert. Now, it has frequently happened that a
stray ranger has been cut off while on one or the other kind
Of duty, by perhaps depending too much on his own prowess
and strength in a gang of Mexicans with whom he may have
fallen in, or he may have been caught asleep, or in some other
way have given them the advantage of him, and his life is
lost. He is missed search is made for him by his comrades;
his body is perhaps found, perhaps not. The nearest Mexi-
cans to the vicinity of his disappearance are required to ac-
count for him they will not, or cannot. The bowie knife is
called upon, and deliberately every male Mexican in that ran
cho is speedily done for, guilty or not guilty. But these are
not enough to make an Offset for the life Of a Texan. Another
rancho receives the fearful visit, and again blood flows. The
number killed on some occasions in this way has been fear.
great, as has been gathered from what fell from the Tex
but no one but themselves knew about il, as a report OF
such doings to the nearest commanding officer would
be followed by a tenfold retaliation on the nearest Gus
toners" This is all horid, it is true, but it has had the sal
utary tendency of causing the well-disposed and honest Next
cans to ferret out and inform on those who practice murder
and robbery. Going about at some distance from camp is con-
sequently much more safe.
You will have heard, | presume before this reaches you, of
the death, by fever, of Captain FAIRFAx. He died, on the
18th instant, at Salillo, after an illness Of a few weeks. His
remains were properly cofined and encased, and, after being
escorted out of Saltillo, were taken down to Monterey under
the charge Of Lieut. DELAsr and a squadron of dragons,
on their direct way to Virginia. We have also lost three pi-
Yates by sickness lately, being all that have died since we
came out. Our former LIST Lieutenant, Thrift, a most ex-
ceHent man, was unanimously elected Captain DELASr,
formerly I'd, now lst Lieutenant; NEAL, Sd, now I'd do.
and Sd Sergeant RIcHARD You've, (who carried on a mill in
Bladensburg some years ago, and sent a wagon daily to
Washington, was made Sd Lieutenant over his opponent,
the orderly sergeant, UProN HERBERr, a cousin of the late
FAIRrAx. We all go on smoothly again.