The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-12-20

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The Southwest Expedition of the St. Louis
Brigade to repress the alleged incursion into Mis- |
souri, of MoNTGoMERY's band of Jay-IIawkers, has |
terminated exactly in the same manner as the
equally famous Expedition Of a certain King of
France, whose name, we regret to say, has not |
been handed down TO poserity. The only differ
ence between the two great military enterprises
consists in this-hs Gallo Majesty marched up q
hill and then marched down again, whilst the
gallant volunteers of st. Louis went over the
prairie and returned. One remarkable feature in |
both campaigns is, that no blood was she'd
Apart from the music and the regimentals, Qua |
ker might have joined in either without violating
his peace principles. The Southwest Expedition
was nevertheless quite spirited affair, and in
more senses than one, if we may place credence in
the accounts which that ubiquitous and myste-
rous parsonage, "Our Own Correspondent" has
been literally furnishing TO the papers of ST. Louis.
OF the Expedition outward-bound, we need say
nothing more than that the daily routine consisted
of long march, broken only by the usual halts
for refreshment and repose, and that in due time the
.
the whereabouts of Montgomery, ELECTED nothing
more than vague rumors Of his having been seen
on the other side of the line in half dozen differ
ent places at once, and in his cornGeld diligently
at work with four farm hands at the same time
Two things alone were certan-that he had not
crossed the Missouri boundary and that the greater
part of the six hundred men which were said to com
pose his band, were full brothers TO those myth
cal individuals in buckram suits, the points of
whose swords the witty and veracious FALsrALF
once vaunted Of having adroitly caught on his
buckler. There being then, no enemy to fight |
it was perfectly clear that there was no fighting to
be done and when this sage conclusion was
reached, the entire Brigade with the exception of
a limited command, was ordered to retrace its
steps to St. Lonis. The order appears to have
been obeyed with an alacrity which shows that the |
marching qualities of the were at least equal to
their fighting capacity, for so anxious were they to
reach home again that General FROST, who COM
manded in chief, during halt at Cal
houn, expressed a particular desire to |
know "if they were running foot |
trace" The evening of the 18th of December
brought them to their last camping ground, which
is chiefly memorable for the free use that was then
made of the reserved Injuries Of the campaign;
and among which, we are fortunate in being able
to state for the benefit of future campaigners,
were 'oysers sardine5, and hot whiskey punches
The diversions of the evening are also recorded.
They consisted of ''comcal stump speeches, with
there and there farcical representation of trag-
'edy'' and a discussion of the relative ability and
efficiency Of the French and English officers in the
Crimea, in the course of which General FROST
loftily assured his auditors that, chad he been in
command, instead Of Lord RAGLAN, he would
"have hung RUSSELL, the Correspondent Of the
fLondon Times; and had the South West Expe-
edition been Of any Importance, he would never
'thave allowed Our Own Correspondent to
thave been present." The next morning the Bri-
gade reached Smithton, where, before taking the |
cars the men ''were drawn up into line" to listen
to General Order No. s." in which they were
congratulated upon "the near termination of their
"active duties,' anu "the happy accomplishment
''of the purposes for which they were called into
''the field" They were, moreover, gravey as
sured that thy chad demonstrated propo-
:'sitou of no little interest to the country,
"namely: that volunteers, although enlisted
''from the various avocatons in life, are ca
PooAV Vi ANo4StAi3 t4S NOV 0AiSNt Vi "'NAj |
t'and ofpreparing, as it were, the iniatory points
"of battle for those who are soldiers by profess
"sion''-which assurance must, we take it, have |
been very satisfactory to their feelings In anoth-
er part Of the ''Order, the General informs his |
Brigade, that he 'has learned with regret and |
"surprse, that efforts had been made TO bring dis
"credit and disgrace upon the Expedition, by in
"sinuations affecting the personal integrity of some
"of the commando" but he takes pleasure in sta
ting, 'that all such slanderous nuendos have no
''authentic foundation Thus compliment ted and
absolved, the Brigade take to the cars and reach
Jefferson City about 81 P. NJ, where Governor
STEWART and the inhabitants of the Capital, chad
''prepared a collation. and reception for the boys"
The collation. having been duly honored, Govern
or Stewards health was proposed, when that
worthy disciple ofBACCHUs arose with the help
"of two friends" mounting a hogshead, as
sured the troops that ''they had accomplished
'feats which would place them second to none in
"the world for ability and bravery" Thus vir
tually ended the North West Expedition. OF the
reception given the ensuing day to the Volunteers
by the people ofSt Louis, we forbear TO speak.
The Journals of that city will inform any reader,
who has the patience to wade through their i'm
mense columns, how warmly the men were well
coined how "bravely and stoutly' they were
declared to have borne themselves ''under all the
"trying circumstances under which they had la
'boured;" how General FROST addressed the
officers ''by way ola partin speech," and how he
"discaimed the imputation fhaving been actua-
"ted by personal vanity, in volunteering the SER
"vices of the Brigade on the South West Expedi-
d. 1
"upon the fact, that if they had not had IAN op- t
"portunity to flesh their maiden swords, they had
cat least the satisfaction of knowing that they
''had come back safe.n 1t is a pretty story of
''Much ado about Nothing" and there is no COM {
ment that we make which would heighten the
interest of the narrative as it is to be found in
detail in the local chronicles of the State of Mis-