New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-08-28
THE TERRIroRY OF ARIZONA.

e.
We have already published an account of the
defeat of the Federal regulars at Fort Fillmore,
resulting in the loss of thirtysix killed and FIVE
hundred prisoners. Besides this, we have come
into possession of large quantity -of stores and
provisions, including beef, flour, bacon, corn,
sugar, coffee, tea and many other things useful
and indeed necessary for our troops.
( Thewhole strength Of the enemy in the depart
meht of New Mexico, as we learn from the Mesilla
Times. consisted of thirty-six companies fourteen
mounted and twenty-five foot. OF this number
we have, at different times, taken eleven com
panies prisoners. The remainder are scattered
about at different forts, getting ready to come
East, Old abe needing them very badly for the
purpose of putting down :" the Southern rebel
hon." Intact, every regular in the West has been
ordered East, the Government at Washington
intending to garrison only two forts, and to do
that with volunteers. -.s.
How many of them will get to the East is, how,
ever matter yet to be decided. As before
stated, we have already captured eleven com.
panies, and our boys are in hot pursuit of the
others. The probability is they will all be bagged
BY the brave Texans, and Old Abe. will thus lose
the services of about one-ifh of his regular army.
stroyed everything that they abandoned, just as
they did in the case Of Harper's Ferry the Norfolk
Navy Yard, and the forts in the Indian Territory.
The instructions to the Federal officers were that
nothing should be allowed to fall into the hands
of the Texans" Acting on these orders, the
Yankees demolished Fort Breckenridge and all the
stores there, and then moved on to Tucson, where
they burnt the mills, the only mills for large ex
l. fof fhorrr oil ha oy1
| flour. They then went to Fort Buchanan, de-
stroyed all the stores there, burnt the fort, and
also forty thousand dollars worth Of property be-
longing to the sutler.
Thus the Vandals went about from place to
place, destroying propertygand food of every de-
scrption, to prevent it from falling into the hands
Of the Gonfederates. We got ahead of them at
Fort Fillmore where we captured provisions
enough to last us several months. 1t is proper to
say that they committed all these infamous acts in
obedience to orders from headquarters, but we
suspect the disposition to do SO was equally strong
had no orders been received.
Their power to do mischief is, however, now de-
stroyed since we have captured SO many of them
and are in fair way to capture all the others. If
they escape it will be by sneaking out through the
mountain passes before our men can overhaul
them. All these brilliant achievements of the Con-
federate forces in Arizona have been done by only
eight companies, under command of Lieut.. COL
John R. Bayler.
The Territory is now free from Federal authority,
and Col. Baylor has issued proclamation, for
malfy taking possession of it in the name of the
Confederate States of America. He has organized
a temporary military government, established
Executive authority and instituted courts of just
ice. candidate for delegate 6 to the Confeder-
ate Congress z is announced in the columns of the
Mesila Times. as,...a
Such is brief resume of the important and STIR
ring events that have taken place in the Territory
Of Arizona within q few weeks. They Illustrate
the energy, the patriotism, and the fine military
qualities of the Texans. The brave fellows have
gone several hundred miles through region almost
uninhabited, and, with less than one-fourth the
number of the Federal troops, have captured a
large number of them, and will either capture or
dispense the remainder. They have driven out of
Arizona every vestige of Federal authority and
formally established her status as a Territory of
the Southern Confederacy.
And valuable acquisition she is. Barring Cali
fornia perhaps, it is the best and richest country
between Texas and Arkansas, and the Pacific. 1t
is superior to New Mexico and Utah in climate and
soil, and abounds Invaluable minerals. 1t lies on
the natural route for railroad between the Mis-
sissippi river and the Pacific coast. 1t is adapted
to slave labor, and now that slave owners can 60
there with their property will rapidly fill up and
become rich and prosperous State of the South
ern Confederacy. We welcome her into our fam
lily, and trust we may soon have the pleasure of
putting her star upon our flag. .f
o. ' I'll