The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-11
Border Soldiers
Great Generals Who Began
Down on the Rio Grande.

Tho Rio Grande has, dur'1g the variCus
wars that veXed its history, Dee y,sIiSd
by the soldiers OF many armies AMI by
men who being th5-e as subalter1s have
since risen to world wide fame. Here
have served the soldiers of old Spain, OF
the Mexican republic, of the American
Union, OF the Confederacy, the Empire
and France. Grant Taylor, Porfirio
Diaz, Manuel Gonzalez and Jefferson
Davis rose to the highest positions in the
gift of their fellow cotizens, while Sher-
ldan, Bragg. Escobedo. BerriozabaI. Lew
Wallace, Otis, Lawton and many others
have written their names on the i'm
perishable pages of the history Of their
respective countries. There were many
gallant young officers, then unknown to
fame, who served under the old Rough
and Ready in the campaign from Point
Isabel to Buena Vista Grant, who was
to rise TO be celebrated as one Of the
greatest captains the world has seen, and
who also was ruler of his country; and
who received his baptism of fire in the
assault on the ciudadeIa at Monterey;
Lee Bragg, Hardie, May, Worth, Davis,
Johnson, Twigg, etc. While opposed to
them were such men as Arista, Ampu-
dia, de la Vega and Santa Anna himself
more than one of whom rose to the su-
preme power.
OF this galxy of great men have per-
sonally met, and that only causually as
a journalist says writer in the Mexican
Herald, but three Diaz, Grant and Davis,
the latter when he was president Of the
Southern Life of Memphis. But of those
who came after 1 recollect a good many.
Sheridan was down on the river towards
the close of the Confederate war, and
believe it was after a particularly muddy
ride from San Antonio to Houston, that
he made his famous unfavorable COM
parison between the Lone Star state and
the realms of his Satanic majesty. Me-
jia, who died with Macmillan at Quere-
taro, was a full blooded Indian and
thorough soldier of the old school Of
Mexico. Bernard P. Bee about the only
Confederate of note, who held command
on the river, was the type of the old
Texas planter, but of not much weight as
a soldier, and 1 do not recollect any
Frenchman, who after rose to be of any
note, as having served on the frontier
OF Mexican liberal officers there were a
host Manuel Gonzalez, president from
1880 to 1884 was born near Matamoros
as was Pedro Hinojosa, and besides those
elsewhere mentioned Geronimo Trevino
Negrete, Naranjo, Sostones Rocha and
many others Of less note defended Mex
leo in the darkest hours of her history
amid the dense chaparral along the Rio
Bravo.
Of the local chieftains, much has al
ready been said in these papers Of Ca
males, Carbajal and Cortina, but one
fact not generally known of the latter
has not been mentioned. He was orig
inally a very illiterate man, and having
been raised on one of the ranches dis
tant from the towns, and what was still
worse at that time as far as educational
privileges were concerned, on the Texas
side of the river; ne could neither read
or write, until he had become person.
age of considerable Importance But he
was naturally man of great shrewdness
and application. After he had risen to
power he learned to sign his name with
a most daShing free hand and an i'm
posing scroll below, and got so that he
could catch the gist of a document
enough to detect any grave discrepancy
when read to him, and woe, in those
days, to the man who fooled with Cor
tina
A rupture between the Mexican liberal
government and the United States was
nearly occasioned in November, 1865, by
Canales. who refused to recognize the
authority of Generals Tapia and Guz-
man, holding Matamoros against them
and General Escobedo who was sent with
reinforcements to take command. Gen.
Sedgwick, the American commander in
Brownsville, sent force to occupy the
Heroic City, and Escobedo ordered him
to leave, and even attacked the fortif-
cations, but was driven off by Canales
The American troops finally left on
Canales and Escobedo patching up an ar
rangement. But for a time serious
trouble was imminent.
The post of Fort Brown as now exists.
was built under the orders, 1 think, of
Brig Cen Alex. Med. McCook. now on
the retired list He was one of the family
of fighting McCooks and was universally
popular. The place as he made it for a
battalion of infantry and two troops of
cavalry and the same number of batteries
of artillery, the buildings al lof brick, is
one of the most commodious in the re-
public.
OF course I recollect best those officers
who have been in Texas and along the
frontier since the Confederate war. and
the Imperial times. The first Of the com
manders of the department of Texas
whom I knew well was Brig. Gen. Chris
topher Columbus Augur who died in Jan
soldier of the old school. a most polished
gentleman, devout Episcopalian and
lea,er Of society. Uuder mis- regime San
Antonio became quite social center and
all kinds of diversions were the order of
the day. Of which the Augurs were the
centre and the prime movers. and it was
quite the propre thing for officers and
civilians, who had not formed any pre-
vious religious affiliations. 10 joine the
Episcopal fold. a good story was told
at the time that Capt. Comfy, the COM
mander OF the arsenal. was confirmed.
want. so much so that he had found it
convenient to restrict himself from a too
free indulgence in the good things of life
The hour set for the ceremony was Il
a m. and the captain went through the
formula with great eclat until the chalice
OF wines was passed 70 him, when, as the
practical fuckers present all declared. he
drew back, saying to the rector in scarce
ly audible tones and with reproachful
glance:
As YOU know. Mr.. Richardson never
drink anything before L O'Clock"
Augur's successor was much more Of