Daily national Democrat., 1860-01-13
Affairs at the Rio Grand.

| ou the MO Oranue are 10 tne l4Jn OF De
cember. Brownsville was defended by tbre
hundred men. Cortinas still menaced tn
place, and had received reinforcemrnts
There had been no further fighting, and it i
but fair to presume that the Americans feel
ing themselves too weak to march against tn,
guerrilla chief, contented themselves will
acting on the defensive. Some time since
the American force in Brownville and vieini
ty was stated to be 2S5 men. Our yer,
latest accounts put it at 800 men, shown.
That reinforcements arrive with surprisin.
! slowness From statement in the New
Orleans Delta, of the condition of affairs OF
the Rio Grande, up to December ID. Corti
mas is represented as being strongly entrench
ed and well provided with men and muni
tions. He was at that time considered too
formidable to be attacked by the small force
(2S5 men) assembled for the defense O
| Brownsville.
On November goth, party of rangers
numbering thirty men, who had marched
out of Brownsville to protect the approach
OF party eff volunteers, came upon force
OF lSO Mexicans lying in ambush. The ran,
gers were attacked and three of them killed
and one taken prisoner. The fled and re.
turned to the city, being pursued some dis
tance. On the next day, (says the published
aecount,) Capt. Tobin's company of rangers
went out to find and bury the dead. The
blood in the veins of every American should
grow cold as lea when we state that not only
DIR. Millet, of this city, and Greer and Nc
Coy, of San Antonio and even young Fox.
who, after being wounded and surrounded
by the Mexicans, threw down his arms and
yielded himself prisoner to Cortinas in per-
son, were found with their lifeless bodies
riddled with wounds and mutilated in a
manner most horrible"
On November 23d, Capt. Tobin. at the
head of250 men, marched to attack Cortinas,
who was encamped near the rancho of his
mother, Dona Estapana. We quote:
Discovering that the enemy's position
was secure and unapproachable without un-
availing loss, Captain Tobn ordered his men
to fall back, intending to rally them about
six hundred yards lower down, but they got
into confusion, and not being again formed
in order, all returned to the camp at Santa
Rita. A council was held by the officers
there, and afterwards, on the next day, and
the effect was disagreement in the course
to pursue.
ION Sunday, about n hundred men, in
Guiding the volunteers under Berry and Dom
aIdson, and some others, returned to the
Neuces with the intention or understanding
OF beating up for recruits to carry the war
into Africa"
ut is the opinion, we believe, alike of
Capt. Tobn and Capt. Berry, that Cortinas
is so strongly entrenched and SO well provi-
ded with men and munitions, from what they
could learn and discover, that no force less
than five hundred men, well prepared for the
express purpose, can with any safety at
tempt his subjugaton. Both of these gem
tlemen are reported to be brave as brave
men ever are, and the latter has had much
and very creditable experience in warfare"
The Brownsville Flag publishes q proca-
nation of Cortinas to the Mexican lnhabi-
tants of Texas, dated November 23d, in which
he avows himselftheir champion, determined
to avenge their wrongs. lie processes to lie
at the head of a secret society for that OBJ
ject.
According to the Brownsville Flag, Mr.
Campbell who was taken prisoner by some
scouts Of Cortinas in October, and released
by him on his parole, states that the flag of
Mexico flies all the time over the camp of
Cortinas, and that as he was passed up, after
being taken, at the various pickets on the
road, and at all times during his ten days
confinement the sentinels in challenging, and
the persons challenged in reply, used the
words of fealty to the country prescribed in
Mexico "Quien UiUe2 Mericol Que regi-.
meMto Cortina !" A translation, according
to the sense used, would be: "To whom do
you belong? Mexico To what regiment
That of Cortinas!"