Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-08-16
lFrom m. provpsville Journal. July 2O.l


From The Brownsville Journal. July 2oJ
II annears that ON Sunday afternoon, the
18th rilt., a party of forty-one, armed Win
double-barreled guns and revolvers, RODE
down the Rio Grande on the Texas SIDE,
canned within four miles of Eagle Pass, on
the river. and hoisted the United states
flag. Finding that the rebel garrison, con-
sisting of CAPTAIN Wares company, num-
herring eighty-five men, did not come out
and attack them, in the evening Captain
Lee, commanding the party. sent down
squad of twelve men to attack their pick
cts. The pickets were fired on, and re-
treated; but the garrison did not come
out. ,fE s.rr c.,.,
Just before day next morning captain
Lee, with his forty men, RODE down nea,
the barracks where the rebels were, anu
found that the report OF q scout they nau
sent In advance was correct - that the
horses of the garrison were tied to the out
side of the fence around the barracks, and
the men were sleeping on their arms inside
the fence. Having dismounted, they charg-
ed as soon as the sentinel on guard nreo,
and as the rebels went into the barracks
tbey took position against the walls OF tne
building. whenever the rebels would
thrust out their rifles from door or win
dow, they would thrust in their double,
barreled guns, charged with buckshot, ana
return the fire. Thus the rebels got no
shelter from the building which they oid
not get to an equal extent, and they hau the
advantage of using buckshot against men
in house. After fighting little over an
hour the garrison with the exception Oh
few men who. at the first onset, ran OH TO
the custom House, and of Captain Ware,
who. at the first fire, got off through the
darkness into a ravine and escaped to the
chapparel.) surrendered, were disarmed
and were suffered to 60 at large on sort
of parole. On entering the barracks the
attacking party found four killed outright
and twelve more lying on the noor TOO
badly wounded to rise, besides number OF
others more or less wounded with buck
shot.
Captain Lees party next proceeded to
attack the Custom House, which, after
short resistance. surrendered also.
During the night the rebel cotton, which
covered about ten acres, was fired three dif-
ferent times. but the fire was promptly put
out by Mexican women, who were paid by
the rebels in Piedras Negras to do so, as 1t
was known that Texans would not shoot
women.
The rebels in Piedras Negras, across the
river, were also occupied throughout the
fight in hiring men, at ten dollars per hour
in specie. to go over and protect the cotton,
and by the time the Custom House was Ia
ken, had got above one hundred armed men
into Eagle Pass.
Seeing that they were outnumbered,
though they had captured the garrison,
Captain Lees party broke all the rebel guns
they did not want, and rode up the river,
taking with them sixty horses, with their
saddles, brides, &C., and all the revolvers
and ammunition they found, together with
four citizens as prisoners. The coin in the
Custom House was put across to Piedras
Negras by the rebels during the attack on
the barracks. No attempt was made by
Captain Lees party to injure or carry OIL
private property, and those carried OH rs
prisoners were persons who had made
tors of loyal men.
Captain Lee had two wounded and two
horses and a mule killed; while the rebels
had four killed on the spot, twelve severely
if not mortally wounded, and thirty more
according to the report OF the physician
sent over from Piedras Negras to attend
them) that had lead in them-making to-
tai of forty-six killed and wounded of the
eighty-five that constituted the rebel gar
rison. It was stated that fifteen of the reb-
els horses were killed.
Captain Lees party went up the river, as
we have stated, were reinforced by. other
loyal Texans from the mountains, and few
days after captured freighted rebel train
on its way from Eagle Pass to San Antonio.
They are said still to be in the country, and
are being reinforced daily. They avow 1t
is their fixed resolution to fight their way
back to their homes.
We hear that there has been fight at
San Antonio, Texas, between the loyal and
rebel citizens, In which the loyal citizens
whipped the rebels, but afterwards were
suppressed and dispersed by a rebel militia
~ force. We look with anxiety for the
particulars.
AS the State of Texas made 1t criminal
offense for any one to interfere with the
expectation of cotton, and Kirby Smith has
prohibited the expectation of cotton alto
gether, matters seem to be coming toa crisis
In Texas. .. ...
The cotton will continue to 60 out. Kirby
Smiths officers are interested in disobeying
his orders, and are too near Mexico to be
either forced to obey or to be called to ac-
count for disobedience.
As matters stand Colonel Ford has to
guard all the shallow places and ferries on
the Rio Grande near his command, ostensi-
bly, to keep back refugees, but In reality to
keep his own men from deserting, and is
liable to be attacked by the loyal men or
ganized in the mountains above him; and a
squadron of cavalry, accompanied by sec
ton of light artillery, could 60 without let
or hindrance from Brownsville or any point
west of Galveston on the coast to San An
tonic.
If the cotton were all out counter revo-
| luton against Jefferson Davis & Co. would
occur In less than month.
SEIZURE OF PERCUSSION CAPS. l
| From The Brownsville Journal. July 49,
Six hundred thousand percussion caps,