St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1865-08-17
EROM THxAs.

A private letter from Col. T.. II.
| Barrett, written at Brownsville, Texas,
contains many items Of interest, few
Of which we publish for the benefit IF
our readers:
81 have been in command Of the post Of
Brownsville since the latter part of May.
l was relieved yesterday, by Brevet Major
General Smith, who arrived here q few
days agowith the 25th Army Corps. Gen.
Weitzel is here. Gen. Steele commands the
Army Of the Rio Grande, headquarters at
Brownsville. think the forces here now
number about q, 900, mostly black troops.
What are they here for? Monroe doctrine !?
H. Matamoras, which you have me COM
handing. is Mexican city just opposite
Brownsville AID had population during
the rebellion Of $4,000 inhabitants. I do
not command there yet, but if they carry
ont the Monroe doctrine may march
through there some day with soldiers.
was over there sometime ago. 1t bears ma
ny marks of war, which l suppose have
gwen tho name heroic to il. Marks made
by Gen. lay 'or's cannon nineteen years ago.
arc still very apparent upon the towers of
the Cathedral. 1t is to all intents and pur-
poses foreign land. The French soldiers
Of Macmillan have been en- guard daily in
sight OF my camp, just across the narrow
Rio Grunde. They have all left now for
the interior and nothing remains to hold
Matamoras in subsection to his imperial
majesty, Max, except Meijo and his three
thousand Mexican Indians. We expect
that Corti2as will force them to leave now;
or perhaps they will remain and be cap
tured. Civil war RACES all through this
part Of Mexico. Neither property nor life
is safe two miles outside of Matamoras.
Cortinas, Mexican general, is brigand
and supports his band Of soldiers by plum
der. Nevertheless he is an officer in the
republic of Mexico and regularly recognized
l met him the other evening. He is just
| las mild a hammered man as ever scuttled
ship or cut a throat" 1t is the Mexican
way Of war, and have no doubt he con.
siders it perfectly justi6able. If he is sue
cessful he will be hero by and by; if he
fails, only bandit and robber. wish
him success, for arm republican also.
MY camp is Immediately on the bank
Of the river. write within fifty feet Of
the river. 1t is q muddy stream, and as
crooked as the Red River of the North. 1t
is not wider here than the Mississippi at
st. Cloud, although its mouth is less than
hundred miles from here and its source
fourteen hundred miles away. 1t is too
| narrow stream for o national boundary,
with rich mines, good country, anda pop
ulation half Indian scattered upon the 9TH
er side. think that our boundaries will,
within few years, find more natural
barrier.
"We have tropical fruits in abundance.
Grapes, figs, pomegranites, lemons, oran-
ges and dates were on the grounds have
just vacated"
Col. Barrett incidentally referring to
the "Last Battle of the War;" in which
he led the Union forces, says:
''Our killed and wounded amounted to
only fourteen, the enemy lost nearly dou-
BILE tina: number. had out with me de.
tachment Of the 34th Indiana and some
raw Texas recruits. The Texas men being
bushwbackers took to fighting IN their own
hook and the consequence was that some
of them were gobbled by the rebs. My
own regt., the cd U. s. C. T., left only
two live men behind and brought in all
their wounded. The darkies piH fght-a
fact which l think abundantly proved to
your satisfaction hundred times during
this war. I will only add one
word, and that is, if the colored man is al
lowed to fight, think it is but justice to al
low him TO vote also. That believe is what
you are all talking about now. 1t is my
opinion the he s0a vote by and by, but
opinions are nothing"