The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1916-07-06
RECALLS THE WAR
OF 60 YEARS AGO
Colonel Murphy of New
York Enlisted AS Boy
of Fifteen.

the unproyoked attack by Mexicans
~ Carrizal upon the detachment of
General Pershing's forces, II was re-
called by a veteran OF the first Mex
lean war. Colonel Charles J. Muir
ply who is the youngest survivor of
that conflict.
Colonel Murphy was also a staff
officer in the Civil war. on June 3
he wao 50 years old. At mis- homo
in West Ninety-third street. Colonel
Morphy, commenting on the fight at
CarrizDl, in which Captain Charles
T.. Boyd and Lieutenant Henry X.
Adair OF troop II, Tenth cavalry.
were among the killed, said:
"The news OF the first battle in
Mexico reminds me that the war with
Mexico in 1868 commenced in n
similar way on April %, is46, al
though there was not formal de-
ciaration OF war between the two
countries. Like the fight with Car
ranza's men. II was an ambuscade
for the Americans. and similarly the
Americans we're attacked by super
Tor forces OF probably four to one.
captain Thornton, U. $. army
marching at the head OF 20 men Of
the Second dragons In Texas, fell In
60 an ambuscade OF Mexican regular
troops on April "a. 1916. number be-
tween 500 and 400. After gal
liant resistance he was killed with i6
members OF his command. and 3S
we're wounded. The remainder OF
the force were taken prisoners. In
this fight. as in that at CarrIzal II
may be noted that apparently the APP
proximate numbers OF the slain and
wounded were the same on both
sides"
II was six days later when the
Mexicans attacked Fort Brown, and
were repulsed. said Colonel Murphy.
On May s. General Taylor defeated
the Mexican army OF Genearls Am
pudia and Arista at Palo Alto.
1T is a noteworthy fact that these
battles were fought without de-
claration OF war on either side"
continued the colonel. Indeed. no
declaration OF war was ever made by
either OF the two contending repub-
lies"
These conflicts were followed by a
call for 10000 volunteers by Pres.-
dent Polk. More than $4,000 vol
unteers responded promptly. As a
comparison OF the quotas furnished
by each state with the present mobil- /
ization OF the militia on President
Wilson's call. these figures are CIV
en- by Colonel Murphy:
Alabama, 1881; Maryland and Dis /.
trict of Columbia, 1879; Arkansas
1874; Florida. ESQ: Missouri. 644l; .
Georgia. 1887; North Carolina, ll20;
New York. 1890; Indiana, 1929;
Ohio. 5S34; Iowa. 229; New Jersey,
420; Kentucky, 4O94; Louisiana.
734l; Pennsylvania, 2ll7; Michigan
1919; Tennessee. 1894; Massachu-
setts, $50; Texas. 1894; Mississippi,
2235. and Wisconsin, LAG.
At that time Mexico had a regular
army of $4,000. and had called into
The field an additional force, chiefly
OF nearly 100000 men,
Colonel Murphy reviewed the de-
tails of some of the later battles TO
show, he said. the tricky act of Gen
eral Santa Ana in using a flag OF
Iruce and messenger TO General
Taylor for the purpose of giving his
army time to escape the Americans
At the Rancho Buena Vista, General
Scott, too, later found that Santa
Ana had violated an armistice of 20
days. fortifying his position and re,
his army, Speaking of the
final big battles of that war and the
taking of the City of Mexico, Colon
81 Murphy recalled these impressions
made upon him at the time;
1T was no holiday war. II was re-
plete with toilsome marches, with
Dlistering and bleeding feet, through
rot sands under a tropical sun, over
Jagged rocks and snowy mountain
ranges where horses and riders per- +,
shed with cold and exposure. II
lbounded with nameless tragedies, /
,oth in bloody fields near many a I
gun. and in the deep gloom
II fever stricken hospitals.
"In that memorable war of two
,ears we fought 20 battles and en-
,agements without the final loss of
ingle or an American ensign. En-
,aged always against heavy odds, we
,ore the honor of our great republic