Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1847-04-09


mics 70 the allurnenis Of The cockpit.
When the contents Of the said paper were pro.
mugated FIRST, there was such horror comnlin.
glsd with the recital, THAI one would have SUD.
posed that Alexander the Great was again at the
head ofthe Macedonians, carving triumph and
devastation wherever his army appeared, and
there was such an air Of grandeur thrown around
the siraiagems Of the dignihed conqueriug Mexi.
can chietiain, that we were carried back TO the
golden days Of Roman warriors.
From all we were able TO gather in the excit.
cd state Of the public mind, which having liule
10 work upon was invenring and conflicting with
itself IN every possible way. the accounts publish.
ed 10 our paper Of the 9th inst. is partly confirm
cd. In tina, number we gave the substance Of a
despatch from Santa Anna; declaring his inlen.
ton TO give Gen. Taylor battle on The alst ult
Gen. Taylor was then represented as being at a
place called Aqua Nueya, New Walerl forlify.
ing himself-we are not inclined TO think this
was intended by The General as a use TO decoy
Sauia Anna into a regular standing engagement,
knowing that the point he had selected was one
that Santa Anna must pass, being the only good
wafer within a great number Of miles which
would be sufficient 10 supply so large force as
Santa Anna had then under his command, and
as we have drawn this much from the probabili.
lies attending this bloody rencounter, we will
draw further, and suppose it probable, that on ar
irving there the Mexican army, which had been
fully prepared for the strife by starvation and
thirst, called all their energies into requsilion,
and hence the slaughter reported 10 have taken
place on both sides-lhe one a struggle for food
aud drink--nn the other, natural display Of
courage and military enthusiasm.
The enemy, oulnumbering our army about
four to one, and standing, as ii were, upon his
own ground, possessing superior advantages in
the way of interesting friends in all paris Of the
country, together with correct knowledge Of its
geographical and geological character, aud many
other facts calculated 10 favor him, is reduced 10
the necessity Of inventng sub,eruges to account
for an objectionable want of success amounting,
in a word, TO defeat. This is humiIiaIing. in.
deed. Twenty TO twenty-five thousand men
against four or five thousand, with all the attend
ing favorable circumstances, and yet that Ihe
larger force should acknowledge the necessity
Of falling back after less Than Two days harle is
almost incredible. We would be inclined 10
think The dispatches Of Santa Anna forgery, as
far rs this acknowledgment goes, did we not find
it in one oftha prints under the patronage Of his
/ Government. But here is the precious docu.
mcnt-lct il speak It's own shame for The present.
| Here follows Santa Anna's letter, which we
give above.
In addition 10 the above, we find in the same
paper private letter from an officer in the Mex
lean army, giving some facts which, when con-
rrasled, has something Of the "sublimc aud RI
diculous" order, mingled with the horrible. a.
e., - h.,
camped upon The same ground which they had
previously occupied, from which we infer lhcv
had been driven from i, and had been able to
recover it, either from the fact that the Amcri.
can force had chosen some other camping
ground, or that they generously permitted them
to remain where, by the fortune of the day, they
found themselves nj the close Of the contest. lie
also states that the loss Of The Mexcans was II.
bout one thousand men, and that their DISPOSE
ton to disband was so great that Santa Anna was
compelled 10 return TO Aqua Nueva, from which
we arc led 10 suppose, as before stated, that Gen.
Taylor never designed TO mako decided stand
al this point, but manifested such disposition
only TO draw the enemy into fight and there
by greatly weaken his forces as well as re tard his
designs.
lie states liIle circumstance, which not b.
ing mentioned in the despatch Of Santa Anna
must be received us flight ofimoginaon on The
part Of The writer. viz: That Two officers belong
ing to the army Of Gen. Taylor had been recciv.
ed undcr cover of flag Of truce, that their eyes
were banlngpd, and they led before the mighty
and august general, who took particular pains Ia
strike them with terror by display of the splen.
dor Of his overwhelming force, besides inform.
ing them that he would listen to no terms of ca.
piualion other than n discretionary surrender
This looks queer in the face Of Santa Anna's
own declaration Of his intention 10 fall back on
Aqua Nueva, and an admission that his army
had been cut up, 1t is stated in the same letter
that in many instances contests were observed
over the bodies of dead American soldiers, lor
the pieces olmea found in his knapS0ck, and for
tho water in his cantcen.
Ills highly probable that the loss on the part
ofthc Mexican forces is about 1000 men, whilst
that of the American side is about 500. General
Taylor has no doubt fallen back upon SatIo or
continued his course towards Monterey. Some
rumori say that the country between Sallillo and
Monterey is filled with armed Mexicans; also,
between Monterey and Camargo, and between
Matamoras and The Brazos; but we doubt tho
truth Of them, aud true, we doubt their ability
to got possession Of any important point. There
was a story yesterday that the Mexicans had ia.
ken possession of Point Isabel, aud that the schr.
Swan, which arrived yesterday, brought con.
irmalion of thas1 facts. We need only say
lha, there is not word oftrmh in the report, so
far us she is concerned, and that no such news
has been officially received by the commander
orthis city.
AMERICAN OFFICERS KILLED AND
WOUNDED.--REGuLARs.
Killed-Capt. Lincoln, Assistant Adj. General.
Woundad-Capt. F. Stein, lat Dragons
severaIy Capt S. &. French, 81 Artillery, Sc
veroly; Capt. J. J. P. O'Brien, 4lh Artillery,
slightly.
MISSISSIPPI RIFLES.
L..lL- Z ID @ 4 y