The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-03-15
RICHMOND, VA, FRIDAY, MARCH Is 1856
Fort Brown.

This fort, now held by Capt. Hill with 400
United States troops. and invested by Capt.
Ben Mccullough, with 500 Texan troops, is
memorable in the Mexican war. Its siege
then is thus described by a correspondent Of
the New York Commercial:
"The American army of occupation under
General Taylor arrived opposite Matamoras,
on the Rio Grande, between III and IL O'Clock
on the morning of the 2Sth of March, 1S46. and
eight days afterward, where had previously
been erected a staff for the American ensign,
the fortifcations of Fort Brown We're COM
menced. This extraordinary military defence
is an earth work of immense size, having six
bas tions, and is capable OF comfortably accom-
modating five or six regiments.
"The fort was planned or carried out with a
most extraordinary expedition, under the su-
peryision of the then Captain, now Major
Mansfield. Approaching it from Point Isabel,
the American side, you perceive the tops OF the
highest houses in Matamoras, which is on the
opposite side of the Rio Grande river. The
visitation of the Fort is on point formed by
the remarkable and numerous bends of the
river, consequently it is actually surrounded
by Mexican territory, as at the TIME it was
| occupied by Major Brown, the sea-shore, op-
| posite was one continued line of forts and con-
nected batteries.
'At this time Fort Brown stood siege
| which has no parallel in history For many
| days some six forts, commanding all the sides,
| front and rear, poured into the fort shot and
| she'll at night the very heavens were illumi-
mated by the fuses of the destructive missiles.
| There were no bomb proof chambers it was
| simply an open enclosure of perhaps an acre OF
! ground. The small number Of men left for its
| defence under Major Brown was it's protec tion
| "a hint, perhaps, suggesting comfort for our
soldiers in Forts PIckens and Sum teri for there
were not many people 10 be killed, and as our
| soldiers had no powder or ball to reply with
| all they could do was to look out tor their
| safety.
| ITO accomplish this, the men dug what they
| termed gopher holes the sentinels on the
| walls of the fort as they noticed flash, would
| cry out from which battery might be expected
| a shell, and the men on the moment would run
| into the gopher hole that pro tee ted them from
| the battery named by the sentinel. Sometimes
| the Mexican shots Were so rapid and the wea
| ther was so warm, from the lst to the Sth OF
| May ,sthat our soldiers, with scanty food, were
| almost worn out in the running from one pro
| lection, gopher hole or bomb proof chamber, to
| another. In this long attack of eight days bu
one soldier was killed; Major Brown wa.
| wounded in the thigh by splinter, which
| wound subsequently, owing to the excessive
| heat, gangreened and killed him. and the bra VI
| hero was buried at the foot of the flag staff h
so nobly defended.
''Since the time of the events referred to
many changes have taken place to strengthen
| Fort Brown, and a large town has grown
up in it's vicinity. Lieutenant Hill, who
is now in command, says he will maintain ii