, 1865-07-20
FROM TEXAS,
Troops Congregating on
the Border.
CAVALRY EXPEDITION THROUGH NORTH
ERN TEXAS,
Startling News Among the Ex-Rebels
.--How Gen. Grant Killed Presi-
dent Jchnson-.Senator Cola
meg President Of the
United States.
Correspondence New Orleans Times !


Nstor Gene ais Steel and Weitzel's head.
4us1sers asc htfc, although llrge portion of
the troops have moved up to ClnrkBy{lle. at
thc mouth Of Tue Rio Grande, and Whites
Ranch, lew miles above the latter place.
Bnt lc~ Of the troops have reached Browns
the roads, caused By the ireshet In tic Rio
ifance. Troops are daily arriving at TIL,
point and being sent up the Rio Grandc. anil
10 short time we shall have sufficient force
stretched along the Texas border to maintain
our rights and enforce our commands. GEN.
Slee!e has alteaaJ made o demand on the
Mexican authorities for the delivery OF The
ordnance: which the rebel Gen. Slaughter
Kirby Smith. @A97' u
This place Was visited yesterday By ons of
The most terrible storms Of wind and rain
t6at has occurred here for years. About four
o'clock ?. III. the wind, which for The pre-
yicus three days bud been blowing s,itf
breeze from the south, suddenly changed TO
the northeast, and storm Of most fearful
v1oicDce burst upon US. Indeed, not more
than ten minutes elnpsed from the time tbs
wind commenced shifting, before 1t burst
us completely by surprise, aud for tl1us
creating quite panic. Tho air wns al1ed
with Qylng lumber, pieces Of tents, drg goods
and groceries, while horsca and males were
galloping about In every direction In the
uus
short time after the storm commenced. one
vaEt sheet Of water was to be seen, where be.
fore was nothing but sandy plain,
Just about dirk We took stroll back
through the campo to see the sights. The
water vas frcm siK inches to two feet deep.
and officers as we'll as enlisted men were iii
placed upon the game footing. I saw one
3lHjor General in his shirt sleeves. with an
old straw hat en- his head, his pants rolled
up above his knees, and barefooted. busv at
work In the water two feet deep, making
suitable arrangements for his lodginst, DoL-
ted here and there over the island huge flrea
ware brightly blazing, casting tltlni glare
over tbs surface Of the water. o. approach.
Ing one We found that the soldiers had exca-
vafed the sand, raising it above the surface
of the Rater, and had there bui1t q tirr.
around which large number were standing
in water above their knees, happy as clams.
cooking their coffee. Horses and mules were
water, and the halters fastened to posts Tar
below the surface. reminding one OF q fleet at
anchor. only In this case their sterns were
tusned to the storm. The thought suggested
Itself ttat q diving bell would be OF service
In unfastenfng them.
CAVALRY EXPEDITION THROUGH NORTH.
ERN TEXAS.
(stEcyeport Corr. New Orleans Times.1
To old Ii restoring Law and order, to faci1f
tate peaceful pursuits Of husbaudry, to cause
The complete dispersion of roaming bands nre
s5me OF the many objects Of Merrltts expedI-
tion, now eEcamped on The hill sides that
borGes this road to Texas. The division, for
Into Two i,rigades, boih commanded by Drss.
Gen. Wes', led By Maj. Gen. II. Merritt. TIE
following general order IL a chronicle Of the
organizations
HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY Foncrs. /,
MILITARY DIVISION u TIE SOUTHWEST,
June II, 1866.
GENEnA1. OnnERs, No. 81. The following fs
announced as the organization OF the lat Cavas-
= Division Of the Muit4ty Dlv'sion Of the son.h.
fiis, 1risade. Col. J. K. Misner, 81 Michigan,
In command--3 Sd Michigan cavalry, 4th Wisconsin
cavalry, I'd Illinois cavalry. -
:, Second bs!gade, Co!: J3mes stewsrt, tott
LouisiAna cavalry, 18th New York c1ysir1.
II. The senior Co1onelg will altnme commsnd
oiihs o1aEadee, nd WI a once require, and for
manus.
81 commardoE Mi. Gen. AERnzrr.
G. a. GoRDos, Bseret Lieut.. Col. aud 4, a. Gen,
This Ia TINT cavalry column which leaves
from Shreveport. The column which leaves
from Alexandria is to be commanded by Maj.
Gen. Custer. The forage needed for these
columns is to be obtained In the country
through which the expedition passes. It is
expected that enough may easily be pro-
the Sabine head waters to San Antonio, that
the horses may have abundance Of fodder,
TIE Subsistence Of the men Is to be carried
along, eighty wagons being the allotment.
Water, as above stated, Is plentiful On the
route, and no treu,le Is at this date antlcipa-
non-arrlyal Of the wagons. Baggage il the
everlasting set.back-as Cpsar calls 1t, is
impftllntnta htl7a.
There ia much work to he done, the eou;,-
try being In an unsettled state. Soldiers who
have forsaken their commands, and who, on
gone home without authorization, are to be
Faroled % fast az found. Ordnance stores
here located, formerly belonging to the Con-
federAte Government, are to be seized, and |
where not apparent, are to be hunted ont |
and unbur]ed. Arms, whether those of the |
soldier Or Of the former and now dead goy-
ishes Of Nor thern Louisiana, and transmitted !
to places Of safety. Tho individual soldiers !
Of tho command. as we'll as the command Us |
a whole, will pay in greenbacks for every-
thing they Want the strtctest orders forbid |
ding the taking Of property in any other maa-
ner: i i is sincerely 3Sa hoped by a! who arc In
tional ar1ne, as we'll as those interested in
their scsnt property, that these orders Of The
Generals will be most rigldly kept. The |
passage OF an army through the country Is |
thus ridden Of its terror5. The troops Of the |
Merritt expedition-both those under Gen.
West, Who leave from Shreveport, and uuder
Gen. Custer, who leave f.om Alexandria,
are all four years' yetefans-all used to the
hasdships and pffyatlons OF soldiers 1ifa. !
They are Of Il class Of men educated to be SOL |
dLel1y and brave.
Though there Is derth Of household sup
plies in Northern Texas, yct tie people have
nothing but tn efr land and their stock to buy |
them. Coffee is a universal scarcity. Bread,
beef, mutton md honey are quite abundant. |
Dsoyes OF sheep are now on their way to |
the New Orleans marlet.-droyes driven
through this road. The droves have been |
collected from neighs'or to neishbor, some
parting with two from their dock, Others !
with len, others with twenty, and 8, on.
The dtover buys the sheep at three dollars
head. Ihtse men. leaving their several
neighbolhoods NTH aroyes In NIL amounting
to near three thousand head, ara huedeaed
With memoranda of supplies needed by faml.
lies who have sold their sheep. The droyer
sells lbs flock at the New Orleans stock land
irg, returning with the articles needed. In
ali these different memoranda, coffee figures |