Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-12-28
MENICO.
Corre.no,dence between Generals Weitzel aud
Meiia-DetaiIs of the Attack on Monterey.


CorreSnoudence between Generals Weitzel anu
MeIia-Details of the Attack on Monterey
The following is the correspondence that passed
between Generals wetzel and Mejia recently an
nounced in our Geographic columns:
GENERAL MEJIA TO GENERAL wErTzEL.
IMPERIAL MEXICAN ARMY,
MATAMORAs December /, 1865.
GENERAL: In answer TO your communication OF
Octoher 81 will state that have taken the neces
sary information in regard to the detention oil the IN
| dividuals whom YOU ask me To set NJ liberty.
In none of the edihccs which serve as prisons in
this city of Matamoras can there be found the per-
sons of James McErath Bartly Quinn or James
Smith. But under the jurisdictio OF the court
martial are detained Richard Crawford or Crawford,
! Carter smith and Joseph King, American soldiers,
who deserted from your command on the 10th OF
SepemLer last, and were taken prisoners IN the
| neirhbnrhood Of MatamOras ON the next day, the
| nth in a skirmisl which took place between lew
of nv soldiers and one of COrtinas bands
1t Is therefore. impossible for me to set them at
| liberty.
Ii i; true that few men of color, of American
icin, were employed the public works or lOrtii-
cations but this labor freely given, and they
were paid one dollar each daily.
You see that neither the laws nor the treaties have
been violated.
1t is also certain that during the last operations
in this city several negroes and former United States
soldiers were arrested but they afterwards lib
Grated Still the presence Ofindviduals OF this class
in the encmys lines the proJectlleS oil American
manufacture which were thrown over MatamOraS,
and the passing of EScObcdO's artillery lndisCrni-
nntely TO and from Texas on United States trans
ports justify, in the eyes of my government, such
measures of security.
Accept General, the assurance of my highest con-
sderltion.
TOMAS MEJIA, General Commanding, &c.
To Major General Weitzel, commanding Western
District Of Texas
GENERAL wEITZEL To GENERAL MEJIA.
HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF THE Rio GEANDE,l
| BROWNSVILLE, Texas, NOvembcr27, 1850.
Major. General Tomas Mciia, commanding line Ct'
! the Rio Gran8c:
| GENERAL-In accordance with instructions from
Major. General p. II. Sheridan commanding Military
| Division of the Gulf, transmitted through Major
General II. G. Wright commanding Department OF
Texas, hereby notify you that if any such outrages
| ON American citizens AZ complained of i'll my let
ter to YOU of the oath of October last permitted
| within your lines no excuses for such conduct will
be accepted; that you will not be permitted to com
| nit acts against the United States, which are no
accidents, and that the Government will not accept
your personal apologies for your bad faith.
am further ordered to say to you that, hereafter
when any garrison under your command is in state
of siege, no supplies of any kind will be permitted
| to be sent to such garrison from this side, General
Sheridan considering that it would he less of vio-
| atOn of neutrality against the legitimate authority
| in Mexico 10 send powder TO such garrison.
| ann further ordered to stop all intercourse with
any garrison during the progress of siege except
| that which humanity shall dictate.
am sir very respectfully,
Your Obedent servant,
| q. WEITZEL,
Major General Commanding.
The foregoing communication was returned by
| General Meiia with verbal message to which Gen.
| Weitzel returned the following:
IIDos DISTRICT OF THE RIO GRANDE, !
| BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, Dec. 4, 1865
| Major General Thomas licjiG, Commanding Line
| IF the Rio GrGade:
GENERAL: | have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your communication of the LIST inst, in
| reply to my communication of the oath of October
! last.
The three men that cannot now he found in your
| prisons have long ago been released If the three
men of the 23i United States cOlorcd troops Were
captured in the lines of your enemies in arms
against YOU, have nothing more TO say of course.
| But for humanitys sake, ask that, on their trial
your court may take into consideration their ign0r-
| ance, their Ignorance of yOur language, and the
fact that officers and Others from the other side in
duced these men TO do what they did under promise
of large sums of money. But three pieces OF art'l-
cry have crossed and rGcrOSscd this river and that
only once and then not United States transports.
But one of my oil .ers, who saw the whole perform
anCc, says the guns were diSmOuned, the carriages
taken apart, and the different parts carried over IN
skins. These were brought over to be repaired and
! returned as is they were repaired.
| As understand you, however, you do not COM
plain of this, nor of projcctlcs of American manu-.
| facturc being thrown over MatamOraS; but you
merely mention them rs facts which justified great
precautionary measures on your part.
have also received my communication OF the 9th
ultimo, returned to me- | must consider it unanS-
wcrcd, rs | can receive no verbal reply Ia Il com
muuica;on written by direction Of such high autho-
! rlty as it WAS
am sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
&. WEI1ZEL,
Major General Commanding.
brownsville dee. lG) correspondence of the New
Orleans Times
Since my last We have details of the attack on
! Monterey by EscObcdo.
He attacked the place and drove General Quiroga
into the citadel and took possession OF the city; but
hearing that force of eight hundred French troops
! were near by, he sailed out to meet them. They
| were mostly cavalry, commanded 10y grandson Ol
the famous Marshal Ncy. Esc0bcdo ambuShed his
troops aud on the advance Of Ney his troopers met
! with such fire that they were thrown into great
confusion by the desperate efforts OF Colonel Ney
| they reformed and advanced twice only to
fresh repulSc lis loss heavy, and he retrcatrd
| a short distance That same day Il column OF nine
| hundred French infantry arrived and joined Ncy,
! aud ESr0hrdo Withdrew before this superior force,
! in good order with only loss of thirty men.
Captain T., of the United States Army, who was
returning from SaitillO, reports he was III Monterey
the day after the tight and he saw nearly two hun
! bred wounded brOughtn. After leaving Monterey
| lc came up To EScObcdOs forces at CanalOe. lie
| SAYS lac has about twelve hundred men, in good
state Of discipline and tulcraby armed, though badly
clothed. These arrqu.tc different from COltna
men, or those of Canacs, they seem regularly or
| gained and with GOOD system. EscobcdO is very
determined, and has no fears of ultimate success. lie
has two good batteries well munitOned, guns made
| BY Amrs, with the james shot and she'll Most of
! Escobedo's men were armed with the old Mississippi
! rifle, though some have the smoOth-h0re muskci.-
EscObcJO allows no plunderng, but subsIstI his
! troops by duties levied trains of merchandise
which lac allows to pass. lie also levcs tax on tile
country but it is equtabIy divided and not as heavy
as the Imperial eSactions at Matamoros. Two days
after he left EscObelO he met Turno, with four hun
dred irregular cavalry, going to JOIN Escobedo.
| General Meiia still remains in MatamOras.