The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-05-03
GEN. FRY'S LECTURE.
INTERESTING "REMINISCENCES Of THE
MEXICAN WAR.
4 BEA UTIFJL TRIBUTE TO TIE
SOLDIERS.
A BUDGET OF sEws FROM MAS
CHESTER.
Proceedings Ia the Courts issterday-At-
fractions ~ the Theatre srd the Mo-
gart Academy NomiDstiens by
Hcnrico Republicans.

Mems Christian Association Hall 10 hear
sis lecture upoE Personal Reminiscent
ces of the Mexican War
General Fry opened his able and in
siruciige address by briefly referring TO
the osiensible cause which led TO war
between the United States and the
neighboring republic Of Mexico, and
hurrcdly traced The first events of the
struggle The battle Of San Jacinto in
April. 1896 practically established the
indenendence of Texas. though the
Mexican go sernment did not relinQu h
claim 10 that territory, and had not
done 80, where pom December 1915, a
it...t resolution Of The Congress
of the United States declared the rcpub
lie of Texas admitted into the Union as a
State The Mexicans felt that Texas
had been wrested from them by the
United states, and were eager TO ayenge
the wrong. 4 war was inevitable. and
the question as 10 whether the Nueces
river or the Rio Grande was the true
southern boundary Of Texas served TO
make up the issue. The dispute az TO
which Of the two countries had right
to the strip Of land lying between these
two was the ostoHsibie cause of the war.
The Mexicans assembled troops on the
Rio Grande, and in 1915 General Zachary
TAYLOR was sent with an army of abOnt
four thousand men 10 Corpus Christi
THE FIRST BATTLE.
On the sth of May, near Palo Alto, Oc-
CURED the first battle, in which the Next
cans were driven from the field
In November General Scott WAS or
dered 10 hold himself in readiness to
command an expedition against Vera
/ Cruz. the government having determined
To- shift the war To that line. He landed
AZ "A point near Vera Cruz in March,
[ ls47. and after a hOmbardment of several
DAYS, the city was surrendered and as a
consequence the strong fortress OF San
/ Juan Il Nel0a.
The speaker then gave a Driei history
Of Santa Annas military career, he hav
ing been chosen by the Mexican authOri-
ties 10 succeed the other generals who
had been removed as such, on account of
their failures in engagements with the
United States generals, and related the
instances and battles in which he was
also defeated by General Taylor and af-
terwafd by General Scott.
This. continued the speaker, "brings
me 10 that part of the war IN which 10
was my fortune to participate. And
will here mention that recently in look
ing over a great number Of letters, care
fully preserved by my mother, found
many which | wrote her from Mexico. ]
have made use Of them because they de-
scribed events Immediately after their oc-
currence"
THE DANGERS OF WAR.
The General. after reading several of
these interesting letters, which beauti-
folly and deliberately described and
pictured the dangers and uncertainty of
var, among them a voyage of a small
steamer called the Telegraph, on board
Of which the speaker was an adjutant,
and destined for the Rio Grande lie
related very striking incident which
occurred while he was on the steamer
Palmetto on avOyage to Vera Cruz. All
went we'll until the sixth day,
when there came dead
calm. which an ancient mariner
the crew informed them might last for
two OF three weeks. There being only a
small quantity of water and provisions
on board. the men were all put upon short
allowances. This was kept up for days,
when their condition became alarming.
Hope was almost lost, when steamer
came ~ sight, rescued The men and saved
them, and took them TO Vera Cruz.
The General then read quite number
Of letters written by himself TO his
mother during the war, all of which were
listened to with profound interest by his
audience, and which revealed striking in
cidents of the Mexican war which have
never been brought out in history The
letters, though many of them written
Just after the cease of the din of battle, |
showed that they were penned by a care
full and painslaking writer
THEY WE'RE ALL BRAVE AND TRUE
.'Of such an army" continued he, las
that led by General Scot o. which every
command did its duty so thoroughly, il |
might appear invidious to mention any
as deserving credit above the Others. Win !
the exception of three regiments the army
was composed of regular troops. or the /
three volunteer regiments, one was from
New York, one from Pennsylvania, and |
one from South Carolina. The three
rivalled the regulars in discipline and !
efficiency. OF the regimeni in which it /
was my fortune 10 serve, will only remark /
that il WAS warmly commended by the !
general-n-chief, and that by the Mexi- /
cans we were,styled. lies Waldto Retlegos
Those cursed Riflemenl.
Where there were so many gallant men F.
il would be useless 10 attempt naming in /
diyiduals, but cannot refrain here from /
mentioning one TO whom the command |
ing general and the army were SO much /
indebted, one who subsequently, won the
admiration Of the whole civilized world /
refer to Captain Robert f. Lee of the
engineers.
Ii would be injustice not TO mention
here that We found among the Mexicans
many brilliant examples OF chiyalrous
courage. Indeed, it would have been
strange had it been otherwise, for some
of them were the descendants of the
mighty COnquistadOres-those
MEN OF ADAMANTIvE HEARTS
and iron nerves, who, spurnng every OBJ
staCle and scOrning every danger, sailed
over uuexplOred seas, landed on strange
shores. plunged into primeyal forests,
met unknown foes and shouting their
fierce battle cry God of Santiago,
fought for fame, power and plumber with
such terrible and intrepid zeal that we al
most forgot their cruelty and repacity,
the magnitude of their
achievements.
In concluding his able and learned dis
course. the General said
"The bones OF hundreds OF those brave
men are Wondering beneath the soil OF
that beautiful valley, where the smoke of
the battle was their winding sheet, and
The loflicst peak OF the Cordileras lifting
high 10 heaven its crown of snow, AMT
looking down upon the fields their yalNl
helped To win will be their everlasting
monument.
be Nor wreck. nor change, nor winters blight, :
Nor Times remOrseless doom.
.An din one ray Of holy ght .
That guilds their glorious tomb"