The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1847-11-20


1t seems that Major Downing reached Mexi-
GO in tim to exercise his military proves in
the recent battles. Below we give an extract
from his "despatch'' to the National Intelligen.
Ger, from which it will be seen that the Major
and General Pillow were the lions Of the fray
at the struggle Of chapultePecs
One of the hardest brushes we had, after 1
got here, was the attack on Chapultspec. L
had been into the city trying to bring Santa
Anna to terms; but, when | found il was no
use, leone out and told Gineral Scott there
was no way but toiight,i il out and, although |
was only the Presidents private ambassador, /
didn't like to stand and look on when he was
so weak-handed, andi f he would tell me where
to take hold would give him a lift The
GineraI said he expected there would be a hard
pull to take Chapultepec, and as Gineral Pillow
was placed where he would be likely to have
the heaviest brunt Of it, | might be dong the
country a great service If I would jine in with.
Gineral Pillow, as my experience under Cine
raj Jackson and insight into military affairs
would no doubt be very useful TO that valiant
officer. So / took hold for that day as one Of
Gineral Pillows aids.
When we some to march up and see how
strong the enemy's works was, says ], Gineral
Pillow ii is as much as all our lives is worth to
go,right strait up and storm that place in the
face and eyes Of all their guns; ! think we
ought TO fortify a little. Suppose we dig a
ditch round here in front Of the enemy's works
AT that the Gineral's eyes flashed, and he
swore right out. Says he, "No, d IN the ditch
es, I've no opinion Of lem; they are nothing
but a bother, and never ought to be used
The best way is to go right into the enemy
peIl melln So, on we went, and Pillow fit
like a tiger till he got wounded, and then the
rest Of US that wasn't shot down had to finish
the work up the best way We could.
The long and short Of it is, we fit our way
into the city Of Mexico and annexed it. Santa
Anna cleared out the night afore with what
troops he had left, and1s securing about the
country ID get some more places ready for us
NJ annex. When he gets another place all
ready for the ceremony, and gets it well torti-
6ed, and has an army Of twenty or thirty thou
sand men in the forts and behind the breast
works, we shall march down upon 'em with
FIVE or six thousand men and go through the
furry. After they have shot down about half
Of us, the rest of US will climb in, over the
mouths Of their cannons, and annex that place;
and so on, one after another,
Ii is pretty hard work annexin in this way;
but that is the only way it can be done. 1t
will be necessary for the President to keep hur-
rying on his men this way to keep our ranks
full, for we've got a great deal Of ground to go
o er yet. What we've annexed in Mexico,
SO far, isn't but a mere circumstance to what
we've got to do. aar q
Some think the business isn't proftablei but
it's only because they hav'nt ciphered into it
fur enough to understand it. Upon an average,
we get at least ten to one for our outlay, any
way you can figure it up--I mean in the mat
ter of people. Take, for instance, the city Of
Mexico. 1t cost us only two or three thou
sand men to annex it, after we got intothe
nsighborhood of it; and we get at least a hun
bred and fifty thousand people in that city, and
some put it down as high as two hundred thou
sand. Some find fault with the quality Of the
people we get in this country, jest as if that
had anything to do with the merits of the case.
They ought to remember that in a Government
like ours, where the people is used for voting,
and where every nose counts one, it is the
number that we are to stan about in annexin,
and not the quality, by no means. So that in
the matter of people we are doing a grand BUSH
ness. And as to the money, tits no. matter
what it costs us, for money growsi in the ground
in Mexico, and can always be had for digging