, 1865-08-26
THE CAREER OF CORTISAS.


O1ltIasyry-The Terror Of lie NIo
t:1unAc-9he Wicked Flea xhnl
GonIdn.t be Cau.l.t-The Present
| - 2opess Of the Mexican Republic.
From the New York Tmes, aA1
To secure the euccess Of a cause, it Is Otter
essential to make Its advocates heroes. Man.
Kind in geneFalarc not sufficient ylabstract and
theoretical to follow grand idea, without
| observing who and what its disciples are. II
demands something personal for its admira.
tion, the concrete and representative, md not
simply the abstract aud thcoretic. In The
grand effort Of restless and ambitious In
ttteguers 10 cmbroil our now happy country
with Mexico and with Europe, this philosoph.
ical fact has not been iorgottcn; but, unior.
| t1nate1y, there never WIS less ground for hero
| worship than among the rival leaders Of the
| Mexican iuctions.
Prominent among these clieftains Is corti-
than 10 convert this soldier Of fortune-foT
the American nation, at 1east-into a patriot
| and hero Lapse of time md the fntcrposi-
tion Of great events have, indeed, hidden from
| popular remembrance some of tile more disa-
! erecablc features connected with his biocra-
| ply. But enough Is still recalled Of Ills prior
record to make any attempt at whitewashIng
him very sorry affair. One might rs well
try to paint in bright colors Santa Anna or
| Jefferson Davis. C0rtfnas Is now, to he sure.
/ a Brigadier General OF the so-cal1ed Republic
can forces tn Mexico. But, for all thut, he Is
simply guerilla galvanized into q General.
If any one doubts IT, Major Gems. Heiatze1-
man, Stoncmnn and Ricketts,, and many Of
flccrs Of less grade in our service, with officers
IN plenty Of the late rebel service, including
! X. F. Lee himself, can testify to the fact from
! personal experience.
Just six years ago Cortinas first attracted
general attention. His previous life had been
wild and desperate. lis youth was passed
among the Indians Of Mexico, who trained
him In their arts Of theft ind murder.
His subsequent career around Mnta1noYas wns
Us horse thicf, on his own account, GRADUATE
ing In the chfcftancy Of band Of marauders
whose robberies and murders were the pest
and terror Of tie country, since all efforts 10
capture him and bring him to trial at Browns
Vile lad failed. At lepsth, he came volunta.
rily where capture could not bring him, en-
eicd brownsville stx ycars ago, shot the Mar
shcl Of the place, md escaped. A little later,
he again crossed tho Rio Grande at the head
Of his gang, killed few Of the people Of
Brownsville, and committed other outragcs
upon Life and property. It is trne that he
claimed to be seeking revenge for wrongs
done him By the citizens Of Brownsville,- and
tor Their efforts to entrup him. And doubtless
lie had been mnltreated in some respects.
But this murderous way of taking ven
Eeance, this open invasion. Of American soil
.by q notorious Mexican htg1lwaymnu, was sui.
1icient TO raise an excitement in the region, to
which The present one there is tempest In
teapot. The celebrated Gen. TwiEgs had suc-
ceedcd In Withdrawing tho frontier troops
from where they were most needed, and it
Was the knowledge OF this Glct that gave Cor
tinas boltlness; The good people Of Browns
vile were left to shift for themselves, and
having once persuaded the outlaw to spare
their city, no sooner found him outside than
they tegan to arm Themselves However, be
kept them within their streets for several
monthe, and the blood Of few venturesome
explorers outside deferred the rest from run
ming his blockade.
Meanwhile, Major Heintzelman had been
Capt Stoncnan's company Of the I'd cayalry,
which, on arriving, fought Cortinas in two
sharp combats between Brownsville and Ring
gold Barracks, driving him across the river,
and away from American soil. In stealthy, !
brigand way, however, the v1ndlctivc Cortinas
continued 10 cross into our territory, and
plundered and murdered when he could. Nor |
with lila attentions. He infested both sides Of !
the Rio Grande; waylaid and shot travellers, |
followed the river, captured boats, and leyas-
tated property, private and public. Accord !
[ngly, when Col. Il. E Lee moved against him
q the following spring (of 16GU, he found
Garcia, the Mesican Commander at Matamo-
ras, quite ns ready as himself to hunt down
Me1icans, in fact, conducted the whole pur-
suit found Cortinas in this same State of
Tamaulipas, Of which he is now q Brisadier
General, and; nfter sharp conflict, dispersed
Ills band, Miling to capturc Cortinas, indeed,
Int taking some Of his leaders, whom they
shot or hanged. II anybody finds the distance
o. si1 years lending enchantment to the ca
1eer OF Cortinas, We advise him to reduce that
66;istanee !; BY glance through the telescope Of