The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-24

until the night of the 9Th or May. III which the be-
segers under the influence of intoxication attacked
the northern part of defences. where,
always before they we're energetically repulsed.
When, on the 25th of March. General Marquee left
this place to return in aid OF it possible
many considered the situation as lost. and among
these was the same general himself From that time
until now the frmness and heroic valor of Your
Majesty the abors OF the general staff in the organ
ization of troops. their payment and maintenance
the attacks of the Generaln-Chie of the infantry
army corps upon the enemy which. partially de-
stroylng and wrestling from him his provisions and
forage kept up the morale the discipline, and the
thusasm of the soldier; and the efforts the director
general of the artillery, which have sufhccd to.fur
nish during the siege the powder. projectes. ammu
milton and caps that the army has requiredal these
united efforts have sustained the situation and
traized the fatal results which the want of provision
OF the chief Of the general stan, who was ut Your
Majesty's side, have brought about.
When the council of war of the goth OF March de-
cded to continue the siege of Queretaro and when
Your Majesty conhded to General Marquee the i'm
portant and glorious mission of returning to aid the
imperial army, Your Majesty and that council of
war Justly believed that fifteen twenty days, at
the most, would be sufficient to resolve the grand
question which are deciding. 1t seemed that des
satisfaction of favoraby terminating the difficulties
which he himself had created; but, through some
highly deporable fatality this has not turned out to
be the case.
SEVENTY DAYS SIEGE.
The imperial army, at whose head the most noble
of sovereigns is to be found has now endured
seventy days of siege, and for fty-four havo been
hoping for assistance from General Marquee. This
has been done in an open town. which was neither
opportuneiy fortified nor provisioned Besides it is
commanded by heights OF the first order dominating
the greater part of its points which occupied by
the enemy, whose forces ascend to the number OF
80 900 men, while those belonging to us, diminished
first by the 1900 horse that went to escort
fever, and the fire of the besieger, have
been reduced from 5000 to 5000 men, the
eight kilometres in length; which, according to the
rules of the art would require an army OF 900 men
for it's defence Audaciously attacking the enemy.
working without rest in the keeping and payment of
the troops extracting ntre from it's crude elements
carbonizing wood for the manufacture of powder
melting bells from which to found projectles for the
artillery, tearing the roof from the theatre to make
musket balls. constructing percussion caps
from paper. venting guns without ma
people, first with horses, and afterward
with the mules of the ran the soldier lacking bread
corn, wheat Coffee spirits and even wood much OF
the timehs is how the siege Of Queretaro has been
prolonged beyond the time marked for its duration
by circumstances. But this heroic defence-the
first account Of its nature, of many that have
taken place in our country-had an exclusive object
which has not been accomplished This was to
await the assistance of General Marquee, in whose
hands the fate Of Your Majesty OF the army and Of
the country abandoned from the moment in
which he received full powers from Your Majesty to
created.
The undersigned generals will not now enter upon
the grounds of the just charges which we believe
could be formulated against the old chief Of Your
Majestys general staff history will take OF this
ungratefu task but it due to the herosm of Your
Majesty and that Of the army which has been fruit
lcssy sacrificed in Queretaro. to make the following
facts clear i'll the face of the word-That, without
elements Of any kind, when there is no sulphur to
manufacture powder. and after the best generals in
the army have persisted III battle, 5000 soldiers
to-day sustain themselves in this town
after siege OF seventy days. established
S Of M the ~ Sa%ntry can purna this ipoa
period fifty -four days we have useessly waited for
the assistance Of General Marquee, who ought to
have returned from Mexico in twenty and finally,
during the defence Of Queretaro the enemy has been
frequently attacked by our troops. defeated in his
artillery. repused from extensive line of forti
cations, which he has been able to force, nor
to occupy any OF its points.
NO HOPES FROM MARQUEE.
The absolute absence OF news from General Mar
quez, who has not addressed to Your Majesty sim
gle communication in htty-four days, while in the
meantime some word has been received from Iribar-
rem. the Minister of the Interior, has kept Your
Majesty and the army IN horrible doubt t from from tn. the
place to Mexico In presence OF the fact that Gen
eral Marquee has not succored Queretaro after q
prisoners Of the enemy. who represent General
Marquee as being still in the capital Of
fact the moment has arrived for terminating q de-
fence which is already materially impossible while
the army and the people are the prey of the plague
of hunger which. within few brief days, will make
all its horrors felt and kill ut single stroke the
suferngs of the people and the morals of the SOL
diers who reduced by misery, hunger. and the
hardships of the rainy (which has set in at
unusually early perotl. and by all sorts of suffer-
ings in which they have existed since the 9th Of
Your Majesty aud the entire army have a right
to the prideful satisfaction Of having placed the
to the world an example Of uncommon heroism,
which il capable Of the boldest enterprises when a
truly energy ana the W M an wc
about to precipitate themselves upon Mexico are
entirely unconnected with Your Majesty and with
your valiant and suffering army
HONORABLE cAPIrULATIoN OR DEATH.
At the juncture il which We find the military ques
tion now debated the undersigned would propose to
Won MAZE its "A
ton with the enemy; legitimate and honorable
termination in such cases, established by humanity
and sanctioned by the laws OF nations among all
civilized people But this is not possible when the
struggle is with savage enemy without good faith
and without honor. whose principle it is to violate
capitulatons entered into as was done in Puebla.
Gusdalaara and Colima who asssssinate their pris-
oners in the darkness Of the night with
out respecting their wounds. and who raise
bloody hecatombs with the vanquislied as they did
at Tcpctatcs. In hard extremity the under
signed believe that they fulfil duty to their
science, and soldiers, In saying to Your Majesty
that your elevated character Sovereign. and our
rank as generals impose last duty which will also
DO costly and heroic sacrifice 1t is to at attack
the enemy until he DO completely vanquished de-
feating him at all points of his line II the imperial
aely evacuate the place, first destroying the artillery
and all the trains aud then forcing the siege at all
hazards as the only of saving the largest posi-
BILE number Of soldiers of the imperial army from
the barbarity of the enemy.
such is. Sire. the conscientious opinion Of tho
undersigned generals, and which they submit to
Your Majestys sovereign will protesting that. in any
event. they disposed to sacrifice themselves at the
head of their troops to comply with Your Majestys
orders.
TOO LATE TO SAVE MoNARcuIsTs.
As Schor Arias writes IL too late. This
memorable report revealed to the Archdukc the de-
plorable fact that all lost, and he thought of
ing himself. He had confidential friend In
the person Of Colonel Don Miguel Lopez.
whose name has been coupled with the black
est treason and drcst ingratitudc that it is possible
to conceive-the alleged crime Of selling to
the republicans the entry into Queretaro for 1000
ounces of gold; and although General Escobedo. as
well as President Juarez and his Cabinet. including
sehor Lcrdo do Tcjads have declared Colonel Lopez
not guilty of the charge would DO difficult even now
to nd any outside of his own circle of acquaint-
ances who believes him innocent Lopez, who became
a favorte with Macmillan. was consequently much
disikcd by his fellow officers even by those of far
higher rank than himself
THE FATAL MISSION OF LOPEZ.
From the papers of Scfor Arias IL appears that