Arkansas democratic banner., 1851-07-01
TnE CUMANcHrs

We publish the following letter fFun, an oe,,. oi tbe Srmy Tor the benefit of the War pcnar,p,,,. Ills remarks contain solution Of the }a,,a,~ " thc administration ta pfpteef our ggopt,.Y nr .t ssie oi Mexico which meEe inselisrihle thsI f9.
 aFgon ct she special osgaa, chsrsias Jhas ghs k f} V aetnoesaiie enc. of raises eongTuSSsoaaI 5ae lh not vosaas the enormous estimates af ttr N. Department When we were ia reSss. s,a tSs,I = II vas subject ot cUngraiaiatsen wsth ag 44E- oReegs ot that gallant State tAat the, ha5 G,,,nt lsstle man. called Jsak Hsss who esgis r,se ss. men pUhish all the Indian askfaSs,,,ns pA.,,, ts ' itoaiief, and hosc pEewrSs sad i,sssrtd sars ,,, ~ Ihat she ladaasS wefr glad to ssAs sssafsy as peace aud cease ihesr depHeslat0ns There ays sac D men stall m TeSaS. and n thr Soa,hvzssf and ws weald sueguSs to the special organ vb,,bs, would be well to call asain For then ssry,s,s fatseF taan submit io inc seFious eauipla,ntsxAsh nov oais oar own inhabitants arr asaksne but tA,s o' Mehseo, also, that our treaty ylpala,sons afe not executed.
 would be amusing to contrast the eApeasrs , ~Aeh Texas wsS subject when she as aa nsae- pendent State, and had to uaFsi her front,rr aean tLe lurosds upon her settlements hy inc Ilfts then sand Indians ihat are west of our irkansas Ina.sn Settemen's, and the expenses now ueurre,i for thc same ooleet. but without accomplishing the ,A get Where Jack Hays wanted enly hundreds the present administration secmS to wans thousand For the Union. MI EnitoA; W@ nave been almost nt-esSs atiy shocked for the fast three ycars wi;A accounts af murders, abdue,ions, and other oat,ases p,ynr,,s' led by the Indians in Texas and New Mcxieo. Thus far the measures taken to suppress depgeaa. tons seem only to have etnboldened thely an. thofS. Regular troops have been sent tierg vol teers called out, and great deal of money spent, without doing any good on the contrary, the In dianS seem to be more daring than ever.
 Why is thisi The Texans have openly eha1red te ,ndf 4A.lu. and safety, and but that commanding officers m Texas have been guilty Of ignorance and neglect of thesr duty IS certainly true
 In the tirst place, there are not enough msoaned troops m Texas. The two regiments of infantry which are there are no more protection against In- dians than if they were tn Ramtscha,ka. They can only be employed to defend and police the dd ierenl g1rons: fer scentng or pursuit they are per fectly vsluless. An attempt has heea made to mount part Of them. but 1t has proved a total failure, for the following reasons; 1. The men were enlisted without any regard to then illness 1 for dragoDn service, and conSeQaety they knew nothing elther about riding or attending to hosseS 2. Neither the nfticeFs nor men reoelve any addi. tional pay for the extra duty thus imposed upon them. 3. In many of the infantry regnents-- particularly those that have served with dragons there is such ayerSion for cavalry seryice that an observer would suppose every horse, like tle famous Trojan quadruped, concealed deadly enc my. Theslx companies of Ed drsgoons have been stationed at intervals between the Rio Grande and Red tver. Several Of these companies have bu. one officer with them: therefore many important duties are necessarily inirusted to seFgeants. Se- sides they have been expected 10 do so much tha, 1t has beea impossible for them to dc anything well
 A single company was required to reconnoitre n scout over territory, ur rather desert, of three hundred and fifty miles ID ength--from Fort Brown to Eagle PasS-and eighty miles wide-ff0m the Rio Grande to the Nueces.
 1 Officers have been placed in command of posts who have no experience or even information ss re l Eards lplllaas or Indian warfare; and they never will acquire either until they are compelled 10 do so 0nesof these sent out young lieutenant iR PursHit of party which had killed some Mexieans and driven oH thelr horses, with instructions ta encass at designated points. A commanding off cer, who has an reputation in a small cIe, ordered out battery of light artillery eneum- befed with considerable tram. to pursue and cap ture all parties of Indians they might find thus ,u
 wilderness without, roads or water, and part of covered with such dense growth of chsppara and cactus hat nothing but a rattlesnAke or an Indian could penetrate ii.
 The government has neglected, and in fact re. fused, to furnish the pursuing parties with slides or |" tralIeFs." Now, neither scientific education nor personal bravery can make an oticer . woods
 man, or teach him the difference between an " la. dian'' and mustang trail Such knowledge
 is the result of a hfe-tim application, and can only be acquired by men who have spent thelf lses in the woods chasing mustangs aud eludng Indians. Nevertheless, . command was sent in pursuit Of
 a party which had killed several Mexcans and car- ned of the wives of two Americans and sliboueh
 were ordered to follow the Indians as long as there
 was any prospect of overriding them, and did ae- tnaIly chase them more than two hundred miles,
 they were refused trailer The officer in com
 mand of the party was compelled to hire one or l abandon the pursuit. He took the former course,
 and fks @nesat anss sHspeadedat at Wdshiagtom. But the principal reason why the the operations
 against the Indians have been unsuccessful s
 that there is neither honor nor distinction to bs lgained During the Mexican war officers wlC
 were not within the range of the enemys gum
 were breveted. Some Of these declined honoH
 which they had not earned; others who have n
 taned them acknowledge they did nothing worth
 of notice; and il is hinted that fl another porioi , had received their deserts, instead of havin increased rank conferred. they would lose tha which they are already holding. Since thes' , Indian difficulties commenced one officer has oeei . killed, tLree wounded, and many have eAhieite'
 the mos. daring bravery. Their services have ne . yer been mentioned, although thefseis no compan f son between the courage of the Mexbcans and th , Indians. Two of the latter will whip hfiy Of th' , former, Tn fact, the simple word " Indian trans ports Mexican with fear
 , If the government is really ANXIOUS 10 exteifm
 nate these savages. they must make use ot mouns
 ed troops-sithef regular cavalry or Texan rangers , Both are somewhat objectionable. Our dragcon |, lack Knowledge Of the woods and self reliance , the Texans want discipline, which they never wh , acquire so long as they are commanded by oihcef
 of their own selection. Every separate c0nsnAn' , must also be furnished with good trailer Ih'
 best are Mexicans who have been captured am raised by tine Indians and have then made the! es ' cape.
 An officer following Indians must expect lo ls aside everything like comfort. He must Dc "ii''lt to live upon wild beet, mustangs. of pecans-A ' drink water two thirds mud, or even to do Eiihos il for twenty four or thirty SIX hoars-to sleep
 the open air. with saddle for pillow, and A fal tlesake for bcdfslow, and, what IS more, De Hs
 run the continual, risk of being smouscaded. AT
 there sueh officers in oar aFmyl PioVioea he'
 services are recognised and rewarded ihsfe a' , plenty such; but they cannot be iouna ShoH | those who receive brevets for performing ",s'h
 guished Serviecs' wfile at home w'Ih iheh iaih' | lIes. nor in the crowds of young gentlemen "og with polished hats, dyed mustaches, aad stih Ss'l . collars swafm around the different neaa4 lsie'