Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-06-25
C0RTINA.
A Biographical sketch ef che RiO
Gransie CS.t-Ehroat-His Intense Ha-
tired OF Americans

Kansas City Times.
He is a native of the Sierra Madre
mountains, over fifty years old, five
feet, seven inches high, swarthy, broad
shouldered and with piercing black
eyes. Previous TO our Mexican war he
lived with his mother on a rancho near
Brownsville, and was locally celebrated
for his horsemanship, his skill with the
lariat and pistol, and the assiduity with
which he devoted himself to gambling
and cock fighting. When the Mexican
war began he became a courier, a spy
and bushBhacker in the Mexican SER
vice, and soon made reputation which
clung 10 him after the war,
and caused him to be feared and
Stunned even in time of peace. He
waylaid and murdered Col. Trueman
Cross, q. S. Q. III. G. This was the
first bloodshed in Gen. TaylOr's army
of observation. Lieut.. Porter and
three other men soon after fell by Cor.
tina's hand. His intense hatred of
Americans has never tagged for a mo-
ment since. In 1859 he witnessed the
shooting Of a Mexican in Brownsville
by the City Marshal, named Spears.
COrtina advanced upon Spears, spoke
TO him, and then deliberately shot him
IN the face. Escaping to Matamoras,
he soon after reappeared at daybreak
with thirty mounted and armed Mexi-
cans IN front of Brownsville jail. The
jailer, brave Connecticut volunteer,
who had remained IN Texas after the
war, refused to give up the keys, and
killed a Mexican who attempted TO take
them from him. The next moment he
was pierced with bullets and hacked to
pieces with Mexican sabres. Cortina
then liberated all theprisoners, Mexi-
cans and Americans, in the jail, en-
rolled them In his band, and retreated
at the head of nearly one hundred cut.
threats, after numbering another citi-
zen, named Neil, against whom he had
a grudge.
This was the beginning of a remark
able career, In which, as bandit chief
and scourge Of the Texan frontier, he
has ever since remained the ruling
spirit in the Mexican State of Tam
aulipas. Taking position at bis moth
er's rancho, and issuing a pronuncia-
mento promising to retake the land of
his people as far as the Neuces, he
soon had over 500 fighting men, and
With these and others who hocked to
his standard, be occupied and desc
lated the frontier of Texas for five
in spite of all the forces sent
against him by Mexican and American
With 1000 men, artillery
and munitions of war, he kept Browns
Vile IN state of siege, conscripted
residents, seized United States
mails, drove immense herds of stock
10 Mexico, murdered citizens in every !
direction, and fought numerous bloody |
battles and skirmishes with inferior
bodies Of Texan rangers. At last a small !
body Of United States infantry, artillery |
md cavalry, under Maj. Heintzleman,
md Capts. StOneman and ricketts,, |
,ame to the assistance of the rangers,
md drove Cortina from a strong posi- |
ion near the old PalO Alto battle |
ground, after a sharp fight. Cortina,
low feeling strong enough to revOlu- |
ioniZe Tamaulipas, make himself king |
Il the border and return to Texas with |
/ larger army, marched up the river to |
Rio Grand City, expecting to plumber |
md recruit as he went, and finally to |
march upon MatamOras and make him |
elf master of Tamaulipas by declaring |
or the church party. He was sur
,rised by the Americans at Rio Grande |
Jity, on the Mexican side. His forces |
we're scattered, with the loss of sixty |
lain on the spot. and many more killed |
n the pursuit on Mexican soil. With |
. fragment of his command, he re-
.rossed the river, and again commenced |
rs plunderiDg operations, but was |
gain overtaken and routed with heavy |
Oss by the rangers.
This pursuit of Cortina aud the bat
lie on the other side of the river caused |
,reat excitement IN Mexico, where his |
Exploits had been exaggerated and |
JAILED as patriotic. Gen. Twiggs, how |
yer, adjusted the difficulty with the |
Mexican authorities, and Cortina, de- |
Gated Of the end he aimed at, retired |
o a rancho, where he lived IN great |
lyle and prOfusiOn upon his stolen /
wealth. During the French invasion
lie played patriot, rallied his old ban
litti, seized the gubernatOrial chair of |
and shot all who question
d his authority. The French deposed |
lim. He proposed to declare for them /
{ they would leave him undisturbed IN |
lis little despotism. They refused and |
he began a murderous and plundering |
guerilla warfare on his own hook, and |
lept it up until they forced him to take |
'efuge inside the lines of the United |
States forces then waging war against |
he Confederates.
Since the war he has Constantly re- |
aimed the attachment of the lower and |
class Of border Mexicans, and |
" his aggressive and domineering acts
las intimidated The educated and law !
hiding citizens of Tsmaulipas. His |
blowers have kept up their old Occu-
,atiOn Of cattle-stealing from Texas in |
pite of the Mexican Government. In |
its authority and its troops, !
Who are marching against him, he is |
.rming TO revenge the punishment of |
lis raiders, and to repeat his Texan |
.ampain of 1859. With nearly the |
Whole Mexican population of Tamaul- |
"a at his back, he Is capable of i'm
nense mischief, and if he eludes Gen. |
7uero, or whips him, there viii be warm
work in Texas. The sooner the better, !
because the exercises will conclude with |
warm work on the Mexican side of the |
inc and sudden death to Cortina. As |
his latter is the sine qlsa non Of peace |
n the border, ring up the curtain and |
ct the play go on. Of all possible
between the two North |
American republics, Cortina living is
he most dangerous.
You may call Ben Butler a ruined man,
ut if YOU had seen him as he commanded |
he militia of Massachusetts on Bunker |