The Arkansas banner., 1848-02-22

honsst zsei for thsir 8elfare---hr ens wh. ,,.s,l lilsr righss are aEknowiedKed xiil neyer cease le labor for them while ks bas strength so hbef fer nis eva. Fer, when cease te remember with ire teEnal regard, or fail te hold hand and heart open se serve, tbose my brave comrades in misfertnne. who, even In the darkest hours of our fate. ever cheered me with their eon6dence and aeetioa. ns.v Gods .~ IT |. <. "
 All sditor especially in this Stsse and Ksnsaekv. who feel an interest for portion cf tfeir saEef. Ing c3antrymen and desIFo that their ,irhfn akonld be rospectsd and allowed, arsssapectfuv reap.~isd te give the foregoing remaEka, and tho snbioin.d Petition, place in their eoiumns
 S0LON BoRLAND, Lass Asagor.
 .1rtsHsss Rolnnleas
 hE. Iester's Petition.
 To rtsk HoN. ". L. MAhcY, Ssrsg of War,
 The nnderzisned, late private jR Capt lnglinh,s Company CD of the Arkansas Regiment of Volun- teer Mounted Gunmen, and snl,asqaensIys pfiserer of war In Mexico, respectfully rcprsysnis That ia the latter part of June, lS46 hs was mustered into tho militasy service of the United States fer inc term ef l9 months, As prfvate aforesaid: thai hs served ln bis Company and Regiment until the 23d day q January, leaIs when, witk others ef hin rec gsnent under Maj Borland, and together with a party of Kentucky Volunteers under Mai. Gsiucs. he was taken prisoner by large force ef Mexican troops, under Gen. Minou, at the Hacienda of En- earnacion. in Mexico; that from Encarnaclon, he was marched, on fooi to the City of Me4ieo, where he arrived in the night of the Arst of March--wss closely confined in prison, until the 5th day of June then, with his fellow prisoners, again pat upon the road, and marched, on foot, to the vfiara of Zacualtapan, some 60 leagues from Mexico in the direction of Tampieo, where he, and his comrades were detained long while, but finally sent 10 Tam. pico and liberated; that hc was then, by the military authorities of the United States nj Tampieo order ed to New Orleans, where on the 30sh of Scptem- bef. he received sum of money from Paymasier of tho U. 5. Anny---assnmed by the Paymasier to Dc the fall amount due hin; and was then told thai he was longer in the service of the United States The estimate upon which he was psid, was S20 month, from the titpe he was mastered into Inc ser vice, 10 the 23d day of January when he was taken Priso nearly up to which day, he had also, be- ing with his regiment, received the regular daily ration; but only $8 month, from the commence mcht of his imprisonment to tho 30th day of Sep- tember, period of 5 months, without tho allowance of 2O cents day-the cash communication for sub sisseucc; the paymasters alleging that ss the prso- ners had been snbssted by tho enemy, tiiey had DO just claim for the coininutation npon the United Stafes.
 The undersigned further respectfully represents That during the whoe period of his imprisonment, he, and his iellow-pisoners, severely suffered a- most every species of pFivation and nrdshiu; and that while it would be as difficult, as |, might be deemed out of place here, to deIineate these In all their hated hgof sense of duty impels him to men ton few particulars Although i was so coldly as- serted by the Paymaser, that we were subsisted ty ihe enemy, It s ceraialy true, that throughout our Imprisonment. severely suffered both hanger and thirst. Rarely. indeed, did we receive full meal --more rarely sill, one of paiatabc or wholesome foSd-neyer ei.her the onc the other from the Mex. esn authorities. Such were our pTivations, In these respects that the health of us ali suffered and 10 thel must be attributed he death of several of our numbs,-. The march from Encasnaeion 10 hson nffx- tn in it's seventies. Accustomed, as we had been, for the six months immediately preceding our capture, to exercise almost exclusively on horseback, by whieh our fee: had become tender and tho muscles of lower limbs unified for violent prciracted exertion--and subsequently our cioss confinement in prison tending tp the same result-by the sud den sabection 10 march foot from % to 4o miles day over road which, in great part was coyer- ed with rocks and gravel, our feet were horribly bruised and iacsFaaed and muscles and joints strained not only to give great pain al the time, but seriously 10 impair our activity, strength snd comfort for long lime, and probably through life. During this rapid and painful march, we suffered from the seorching heat of a tropical sun by day, and at ght from excessive celd-sometimes forced to lodge in the pens of sheep and cows and general E iu quarters less filthy and uncc mfcftable with
 single blanket to serve the double purpose of bed and covering While in the prison of Mexico. du- ring the months of March, ApIil and May, we were confined in close association with some 300 convicted Mexican fe.ons of the lowest caste, and most disgusting habits; our food and water were filthy. unpaaiable and unwholssome- the former to such degree that though very scan- tily supplied, and though we were rayenoasy hum gry, days log ther were ofien passed without tas ting it, aud places for sleep ciose crowded, and noisome cells, the brick floors of which, our only couch, resting on a marshy soi were almost saturated with water. Thus situated and treated, IL k not surprising that ali of us were sckseyerai
 
 of which they asc yet suffering, and w in al iise- Iilood, never recover.
 After we ieft the City of Mexico, and while at, and in the vicinity of, Zacuatapsn, our privations and sulfcrings, they had been before were cruelty augmented. Tosuch degree, was this the case particularly in the wants Of food and clothiug many ofour comrades sunk under them-exhausted; 60 that when we were ordered to Tampiro, some fosyteen were unable trave.-and of that number, eiepea have since died. The three survivors, in state of nakedness, s.arvation consequent disease, and on the verge of dissolution, were abandoned by their Mexican guari. But that they were ace- dentally cd by some charitable foreigners, who supplied their wants. they too would have paid the last debt of nature under circumstances of hor- TOT one shudders to contemplate. Albeit, the Pay master taaf tte prisoners irsrs sabsissd 6y s snenyi /
 From suffering in this extreme degree, the un- dessisued was saved hy the force of constitution of unnsai vigor; yet he has, by no means passed the ordeal unscathed. For by cruel treatment, Inflicted on himself and comrades, even the second day of their captivity and the first ot the march from En. carnscion 10 Mexico, he received injury. the ef fleets of which he will. in al probability, eoatinae 10 feel while he lives. On that day. the prisoners were ail bound, in couples with ioPes on iher arms. So tightly were they bound, inst many suffered sz- crucating pain, and several fell fainting. ss they were urged rapidly forward, on the march. at the point of the lance For three days this was conin- sed and when unbound, the ieft arm of the under signed was intiTeiy paTalysed In this condition tt remained for several months-hanging, shrnnken, almost insensihle and wholly useiesa, by his side Since his resasahome this disability has been par tiay overeome but the limb is yet ef .nan tne natural saxc, weak and occasionally psinfus; and while the hope is cherished that perfect restoration