New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-04-01
NETWORK, THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 4, IsaY
courageous armies to the sllaren,ents OF the cock

courageous armies to the allarenients OF tne cock
pit.
When the contents Of the said paper were pro-
mulgated hst, there was such horror commingIed
with The recital that one would have supposed that
Alexander the Great again at the head of the
Macedonians carrying triumph and devastation
wherever his army appeared, and there was such
an ar OF grandeur thrown around the stratagems
OF the dignihed and conquenng Mexican chieitain
that we were carried back 10 the golden days OF
Roman warriors
From all we were able to gather in the excited
state of the public mind which having little to
work upon, was inventing aud conflicting with it.
sell IN every possible way the accounts Published
IN our paper OF the 9th inst are partly confirmed
In that number we gave the substance Of dis.
patch from Santa Anna, declaring his intention to
give GeR Taylor battle on the 2lst alt. Gen. Tay-
ior was then represented as being at place called
Aqua Nueva New Water terrifying himself,-we
are now inclined to think this was intended by the
General as a ruse TO decoy Santa Anna into regu.
lar standing engagement knowing that the point be
had selected was one that Santa Anna must pass
being the only good water within great number OF
miles which would be sufficient TO supply the wants
OF so large force as Santa Anna bad then under
his command and as we have drawn this much
from the probabilities attending this bloody enconn-
ter, we will draw farther and suppose II probable
that on arriving here the Mexican army, which had
been fully prepared for the strife by starvation and
thirst called all their energies into requisition and
hence the slaughter reported 10 have taken place
on both sldes-the one q struggle for food and drina
on the other, natural display OF courage and
military enthusiasm
The enemy, outnumbering our Army about four
TO one and standing, as IL were, upon his own
ground possessing superior advantages in the way
Of interesting friends in all parts OF the country
together with correct knowledge of its geograph-
ica and geological character and many other facts
col faI fc fovo e.
of inventing subterfuges to account for an unpar-
donable want Of success, amounting, in a word, 10
defeat This is humiliating, indeed.
Twenty TO twenty-five Thousand men against
four FIVE thousand, with all the attending IA
vorable circumstances, and yet that the larger
force should acknowledge the necessity Of falling
back after less than two days battle is almost in
credible. We would be inclined TO think the dis
patches Of Santa Anna forgery as far as this &C
acknowledgement goes, did we not find it in one Of the
prints under the patronage of his Government
But here is the precious documentlet it speak its
own shame for the present
Here follows Santa Annes letter, which we
give elsewhere
Ia addition TO the above, we find 10 the same pa
per private letter from an officer in the Mexican
Amy, giving some facts which, when contrasted,
have something OF the sublime and rdIculous"
order, mingled with the horrible.
At first he states that the Mexican army was
then encamped upon the same ground which they
had previously occupied, from which we infer that
they had been driven from IT, and had been able to
recover it, either from the fact that the American
forces had chosen some other camping ground, or
that they generously permitted them to remain
where by the fortune OF the day, they found them
selves at the close Of the contest
He also states that the loss Of the Mexicans was
about one thousand men, and that their disposition
TO disband was SO great that Santa Anna was com
PEELED to return TO Aqua Nueva, from which we are
led TO suppose, as before stated, that Gen. Taylor
never intended TO make a decided stand at this
point but manifested such disposition only to draw
the enemy into a fight and thereby greatly weaken
his forces, as well as retard his designs
He states a little circumstance which not being
mentioned in the dispatch OF Santa Anna must be
received as a flight Of imagination on the part OF
the writer viz that two officers belonging TO the
army Of Gen. Taylor had been received under
cover Of flag OF truce that their eyes were band
aged, and they led before the mighty and august
General, who took particular pains to strike them
with terror by display Of the splendor of his over
whelming force, beside informing them that he
would listen 10 no terms OF capituaton other than
a discretionary surrender
This looks queer in the face Of Santa Annals own
declaration OF his intention 10 fall back upon 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 for the pieces OF
meat found in his haversack and for the water IN
his canteen.
1t is highly probable that the loss on the part OF
the Mexican forces is about 1000 men while that
of the American side is about 500. Gen Taylor
has no doubt fallen back upon Saltlo' or continued
his course toward Monterey. Some rumors say
that the country between Saltillo and Monterey IS
filed with armed Mexicans also between Monte
rey and Camargo, and between Matamoros and
the Brazos but we doubt the truth OF them, and, If
true we doubt their ability to get possession of any
important point
There was a story yesterday that the Mexicans
had taken possession of Point Isabel, and that the
schooner Swan. which arrived yesterday, brought
confirmation of these facts. We need only say
that there is not word of truth in the report as
far as she is concerned and that no such news has
been officially received by the Commander OF the
City.
The Tampico Sentinel also refers to letter from
a Mexican officer, published at the same time with
Santa Annals, which states that the loss OF the
Mexican army was about one thousand, and their
disposition TO disband so great that Santa Anna
was Obliged TO fall back Aqua Nueva-