San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-06-07
ON THE RIO GRANDE.
Incidents There During the War
That Affect Well Known
Citizens.

| SlIlZ6nS.
Mr., Wilbur H. Webber, in the Chi
cago Ledger, writes as follows:
| In the fall of 1868, Col. Duff with a
regiment of Texas volunteers occupied
the lower Rio Grande, with head
| quarters at Fort Brown, the depart
ment being under command of Gen.
| ii. p. Bee. In November Col. Duff
evacuated the fort, destroying all the
buildings. The lighthouse was also
undermined, and powder put in with
| the intention of demolishing it,
| but the work was so poor
| ly done that it resulted in every
| little more damage than the destruc-
ton of a few of the steps of the inside
| stairway. After the evacuation and
removal of the confederate forces far
ther eastward, the federals occupied
the fort, pushing an outpost of cavalry
| as far up the river as Ringgold bar
racks, near Rio Grande City, other
wise known as Rancho Davis, some
eighty miles or more above.
Early in the spring of 1864, Colonel
John S. Ford (Old Rip received or
ders from the confederate government
to raise brigade of cavalry for from
tier defense. Colonel Ford had been
a "frontiersmann from the earliest
settlement of TEXAS by English
speaking people, and was noted as an
Indian fighter. 1t was Colonel Ford
who defeated, 1859, the attempted in
vasiOn OF Texas by the afterward
noted Mexican General Cortina, at
Las Rrcias, a rancho some distance
above Brownsville. So promptly and
energetically did he set about the
work that by April he had organized a
force of some seven hundred men,
composed of Giddings' battalion, COM
manded by Colonel George H. Gid
dings; ShOwalter's regiment, Colonel
J. Showalter in command; and small
force of MeXicans under command of
Captain Santos Benavides.
The American confederates were
composed of old men who had been
serving east of the Mississippi river
and discharged on account of some
disability, and boys and young men
| under twenty years OF age. Colonel
| Ford established his headquarters at
Fort Duncan, near Eagle Pass, and
within a few weeks concentrated the
different commands of his force at that
point. During the stay at Fort Dun
can the Comanches made a raid
through the border for plumber and
| destruction, which was met and r.
pulsed by dart of the force with
small loss. After about a fortnight
spent in collecting supplies, which
mostly came from Mexico, prepara-
tions were made to move down the
| river. In order to be as expeditions
as possible, it was necessary to en-
ploy guide to lead the column by
the nearest route to Ringgold bar
racks. From the uncertain condition
of things, trustworthy and competent
guides were next to impossible to be
| had. However, the best we could
find was employed, and he was so in
competent that for two days the whole
force was lost, and worst of all, with
| out water.
To the reader who is unacquainted
with this "dry belt" of country, it is
besG to say that for the greatest part
of the year river and creek beds are
dry and dusty, appearing like geo
logical transition now in progress.
Often for days the traveller will con-
| tinue his journey without seeing either
water or moisture of soil, and any neg
lect to provide sufficient water is pun
ished with intense suffering. The
thirst is more parching on account of
the dryness of the atmosphere, for
during the dry season dews are I'M
known, and the extreme dryness
| causes rapid evaporation of
| moisture from the surface of
the body. By changing our
course we again came out to the river,
whose landmarks we continued to fol-
low until near the barracks, when our
| approach was made in as cautious
manner as possible. We found that
the Federal cavalry had been with
| drawn to Las Rucias.
Leaving portion of the force at this
point, the remainder proceeded on
| down the river, surprising the Yam
KEGS. They made a spirited but brief
resistance, some forty of them sur
rendering, and the remainder, some
forty or more, escaped to Browns
Vile. Our loss was four killed, in
Guiding Captain Dunn, in command
of an independent scouting company,
and three wounded. The Federal
loss in killed is not known, and
only three or four were wounded
amongst those surrendered, and none
of them seriously. The wounded pris-
oners were paroled on the field. The
commissary stores, with transporta-
ton, of course fell into our hands, and
the men did not wait for distribu-
ton of rations but Immediately COM
menced cooking food, as we had had
nothing but 'jerked beef for several
days-and hurriedly jerked, too. To
get a good meal once more caused gen.
eral content, and the usual banter of