Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-02-04
CHE 1ftcxitau Al,or.
From the New York Express.
Letter from General TAYLOR.

! ter, which tells its own story too well to need
any comment. 1t is but Just, however, to its he
roic writer, whose courage and Judgment are
equalled only by his honesty and modesty, to
state that it was written to near friend and rel
alive now resident in this city, e1dearcd to him
by very many years of personal intimacy, to
whom he unbosoms all his purposes, opinions
and feelings, without the least reserve.
We have more of this sort to communicate,
and shall soon be able to show that, in his de-
fence against his own secret personal enemies
and selfish detractors as well as against the
armed enemies of his country, the old hero of
the Rio Grande is ever Rough and Ready"
II. Qns. ARMY OF OccUpArroN, or INVASION,
Monterrey .Ncrico, .Nov. 9, 1916.
My DEAR a
Your very kind and acceptable letter of the
3lst of August, reached me only
short time since, for which Deg leave to rem.
der you my sincere thanks A few confidential
remarks on certain public transactions are here
omitted
After considerable apparent delay on the part
of the Quarter Masters Department in getting
steamboats, into the Rio Grande adapted TO its
navigation | succeeded, towards the latter part
of August, in throwing forward TO Canargo, ia
town situated on the st. Juan River three miles
from its junction with the Rio Grande, on the
west side, nearly 500 miles from Brazos Island
oy water and 200 by land and lao from this
place,) a considerable depot of provisions, ord
nance. ammunition and forage, and then, having
brought together an important portion of my
command determined moving on this place.
Accordingly, after collecting 100 pack mules,
with their attendants and conductors, III the enc
mys country, 1.-THE principal means of transporta
ton for our provisions, baggage, &C. left, on
} the 9Th of September, to Join my ADVANCE which
had preceded me a few days to Serralvo, a small
village IS miles on the route which did on the
9th, and after waiting there few days for some
of the corps to get up, moved on and reached
} here on the 10Th, with $3.50 men-2700 regulars,
the balance volunteers. For what took place ul-
forwards, must refer you to my several reports,
particularly to my detailed one Of the 9th ult.
do not believe the authorities at Washington
are at all satisfied with my conduct in regard to
the terms of the capitulation entered into with
, the Mexican commander, which you no doubt
have SEEM as they have been made public
through the official organ and copied into vari-
} Gus other newspapers. | have this moment re-
r ceived an answer Ito my despatch announcing
) the surrender of Monterey, and the circumstan-
) ces attending the same,) from the Secretary Of
Wan, stating that it was regretted by the Presi-
I dent that it not deemed advisable to insist
, on the terms | had proposed in my first commu-
ncation to the Mexican commander5 IN regard to
giving up the city,"-Odding that "the circum-
stances which dictated, no doubt justified the
change"
Aithough the terms OF capi'ulatloh may De
CONSIDERED TOO lloera OF our part oy tle resi-
uel' anu ms "uVlser9, as wen a. ny may Jt'ols
at u'stunIe' pau W lnoso WY Wv nv
understand the position we occupied, otherwise
2 they might come to different conclusion in
D regard to the natter,) yet, on due reflection, l
, see nothing to induce me to regret the course
~ ~? T. Jpo'i'ion W. 'io l'u -,
AhPuu'o, ''I''. '."" '''uei W Wv ~ ~ 49, ~
my cou'sc ~ 'lIo n'ut'ci' vas ", ~ IL ~;
sIou,,u ''It 'ul au ',oposua ~ l'r'
sct'o ',.u uH''u"s uIllcu'ioo ~
iha ros,,i, ,;c as .',I Uaau
bv the nronor authorities and Which hn TCanerni
y Smnud;a ! had no donbt would result favorahiv
= rs The whole of his noonle were in favor o(
nnace. If So I considered tbc efilsion of blood
NOT only unnecessary, bnt ;mnronnr. Their force
was also considerably larger than ours; and
from, the size and nosiion Of the Mace we could
t not completely invest it so that the greater por-
ton of their troops, if not the whole could any
n night, have abandoned the city, at once, entered
Z the mountain passes, and effected their retreat,
J. do what we would. Had we been put to the
J. alternative Of taking the place by storm, (which
o there is no doubt we should have succeeded i'll
: doing) we should, in all probability, have lost
a fifty or hundred men in killed, besides the
wounded, which wished to avoid, as there APP
n peared to be a prospect of peace, even if dis
7, tant one. also wished to avoid the destruction
e Of women and children, which must have been
IS very great had the storming process beer resort
;, ed 10. Besides they had a very large and strong
i ratification, short distance from the city, which
IS if carried with the bayonet, must have been taxi
II en- at great sacrifice of life; and with our linn
g tied train of heavy or battery artillery, it would
y have required twenty or twenty five days to take
l. it by regular approaches.
That they should have surrendered a place
nearly as strong as Quebec, well fortified under
10 the direction of skilful engineers, - their works
It garnshed with forty-two pieces of artillery a
'r bundnntly supplied with ammunition, garrisoned
al by 1000 regular and 1000 irregular troops, in
r addition to some thousands of citizens capable
al Of land uo doubt acually bearing arms and aid
y ing IN its defence, to an opposing force of hall
k, their number, scanty supplied with provisions
Is and with a light train of arillery,-s among the
Is unaccountablo occurrences of the war.
al am decidedly opposed to carrying the wal
u beyond Salto in this direction, which place has
$ been entirely abandoned by the Mexican forces
ID all of whom have been concentrated at Sar
is Louis Potos; and shall lose no time in taking
y possession of the former as soon as the cessation
1t of hostili,es referred to expires,-which have
notified the Mexican authorizes will be the case
on the 18th inst. by direction of the President Of