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About Daily chronicle & sentinel. (Augusta, Ga.) 1837-1876 | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1847)
c 11R ON [OR K AND SENTINEL. BY J W. & W. S. JONES. DAH.V, TBj^ EKU *• WEEKt-Y --(f t, ROAD BANK BUILDING. Tr „\K^Dillv'Paper, per annum, in advance-$lO ti u it . 5 Tr.-M eckl\ raper, , Weekly', (a mammoth sheet; •• x CASH SYSTEM. —In no case will an order for the paper be attended to, unless accompanied with the money, and in every instancewhen the time for which anv subscription mav be paid, expires before the re ceipt of funds to renew the same, the paper w ill hr discontinued. Depreciated funds received at value in this city. Later from Europe. By the arrival at New York on the Cth iust. of the Packet ship Columbia . from Liverpool, whence she sailed on the 6th of March, we have two days Inter news from Europe. The papers present but little of interest. In markets the tend ency was still upwards for agricultural produce a steady demand having sprung up for ex portation to France. The effect of this new foreign demand was necessarily that of enhanc ing the home markets. Such particulars as are of interest we annex. The money article of the London Globe of sth of March states, it will be seen, that an ex periment is to be made by the British Govern- . merit, to supply the British navy with salt pro- i visions from the United States, and that an or der for *2OOO tierces had already been given. \Ve have plenty of such provisions to sell. Prance. Paris dates are to the 3d March. The French papers are occupied with a squable between the Greeks and the Turks, on a point ofeitiquette. , The Turkish Ambassador at the Greek > court had been insulted at Athens, and the ' Greek cabinet refusing to make suitable repara tion. he had quitted that city and returned to Constantinople. Great sensation was said to he occasioned thereby in the Turkish capital and it was believed the meditation both of France and Englaud will be required to stay the consequences of this mighty quarrel. The price of corn still continues to rise in all the towns of France, and money is becoming scarce, as the precious metals are being gradu- j ally drained out oftlie country in payment of the supply of provisions. The foreign shipsre- i fuse to receive merchandise, and insist on being paid in bullion. “If. says the Reforme” all for- | eign shipping continue to refuse to receive mer chandise in return for wheat, and insist on bul- ; lion, a financial crisis may be created which would serve admirably the views of the coa- I lesccd powers againt France. An assertion ; which at tirst sight may appear absurd may : subsequently be justified by events.” Spain. The Loudon Standard, March 5, evening, | has lha following : The quarrels between the Queen and her husband, Don Francisco, have attained to such a height that concealment any longer is im possible. The Queen herself expresses her abhorrence of her husband, and scruples not to speak openly with disgust of his infirmities, physical and moral. Christiana interferes and supports her daughter; Don Francisco de Palo , supports his son, and these respective par ties vent their exasperation in language of the coarsest character, and according to the last accounts, Chrisliano is about to retire to France. In the meantime a Carlist outbreak on a large scale is in preparation.|Several towns in Biscay, Catalonia and Navarre have been already gained. Prussia., A letter from Berlin, dated February 22d, says— “lt has been this day decided that Prince Solms-Hohensolms-Lich is to be president of the General Diet, which opens on the 11th of Apri 1 It is said that in all communications and official documents the nobles will he desig nated as the ‘First Assembly/ and the members of the three other States as the ‘Second As sembly/ The last will have for president M de iijchow tie Stulpe, marshal of the Court, it was stated at one time by the newspapers that Count d’Annin de Botzenburg, late min ister of the Interior, would be marshall of the diet. He was, in fact, nominated to that post by the King, but positively refused to undertake the duties.” Pol a lid. The German Universal Gazette publishes the following letter from Warsaw : “ The Russian Government, fearing, no doubt, that the passage in the speech of the King of the French and that of the Queen of Great Britain, relative to the suppression of Cracow, might produce too great a sensation in this city, has commanded the censors to sup press that passage in the national journals, and to cut the paragraph out of all foreign journals previous to their delivery to their address. The passage in the speech of the King of the I rench, relative to the treaty of commerce and navigation concluded with Russia, has like wise been suppressed, the Emperor not wish ing that his subjects should be acquainted with his relations with foreign countries.” f rom the Leeds Mercury of March 6. Foreign Wool Trade , Leeds, March 5.-—The inquiries for foreign wools have been more nu merous this week, and a some what better feel ing has pervaded the market. English Wool Market, March s.—This branch of trade still continues very fiat and unprofita ble ; the manufacturers buy nothing but to sup ply pressing wants, and the disproportion of prices here and in the country, renders the bu siness an} tiling but satisfactory to all parties concerned. hade of Leeds. —\\ e are glad to notice a considerable improvement in our cloth markets since our last report; more goods were taken out of the Cloth Halls last Saturday than on any market day for some mouths past, and at the market on Tuesday a full average quantity of goods was sold. The demand is almost eiitire- V tor "°°ds ot low qualities for shipping, but fine goods continue dull of sale; prices con tinue steady. There hasbeen a little improve ment in business in the warehouses during the past week. = Halifax Market, Saturday. Feb. 27. —We have had another dull piece market, though no altera tion in prices. In the yarn trade there are in dications of a more favorable character : the de mand is rather extending, and though no posi tive advance is quoted some kinds are firmer than they were. 'The business doing in the wool market is only limited, still it is propor tionate to the stocks in staplers hands, or the arrivals from the growing districts; and prices during the week have been quite steady. Trade of Manchester.— There are considerable orders for America for finished goods, especial ly from the better qualities ofprints. Yarns are better to buy, hut the decline is very little, in deed some spinners refuse the rates of the day. irade of Nottingham. —The Nottingham Review, of yesterday, reports a little improve ment in the lace trade of that town. The drawer and pantaloon bianch in some shops is considerably better, but others are short of em ployment. Liverpool Markets. LIVERPOOL. March 5. — Cotton. —We have had a tame Cotton market throughout the week ; the sup plies ot American have been less abundant, and prices even and linn. The quotations of last week cannot m any description be changed. Sea Islands are in demand at extreme rates. There have been taken on speculation 7000 American ; and for exportation, bSO American; 250 Pernam, and 100 Surat. For warded into the country unsold during the last month, 4510 American and 190 Surat. Prices declared by the Committee of Brokers this week, for fair Colton, are—Bowed 6|d ; Mobile 6fd; and Orleans 7d. Sales from the ‘2oth to the 26th inst. inclusive, were 26,200 bales, including 300 Soa Island, 12 a 22d; 10 Stained do lOd ; 9780 Bowed s*d a 74d ; 10,020 Or- ] leans s|d a9d ; 1980 Mobile 5 h a 6| d - Grain. —Prevented bva continuance of adverse winds, tl| arrivals of either British or Foreign pro duce into this port since Monday last arc on the whj limited ... amount: and though several gram vesads may be near at hand, it appears too early in the £ eon to expect anv immediate large supply from distant parts abroad. The trade for wheat during the interval from Tuesday last has ruled very firm, npon sales confined chiefly tolocal consumers and on a moderate scale, i while the transactions in American flour were to a j fair extent at an improvement of 6d. per barrel; all spring corn, however, was exceedingly dull of sale at last quotations, though the quantity ot most descrip tions here .s light. Upon a very slender appearance of the country' buyers at this day’s market, and oar home millers inactive, few sales of wheat were effect ed, but all descriptions being held steadily on the terms last noted. Tuesday’s currency remained uu- ! varied. . Os American flour, some farther parcels were dis- j posed of to-day, partly for Ireland, and though the j demand in some degree abated, the advance above j named was repeated, good brands of Western realiz ing 42s to 42s 6d per barrel. Indian Corn likewise, was taken more sparingly to-day than at an earlier period of the week, but as the wants of, and exports to, Ireland are still considerable, Tuesday’s quotations are maintained. The weather is still cold, but being dry, and the soil in this circle of the country meliorated bv the late frost, is in fine order for ullage, tCljronidc tinb Sentinel. AUGUSTA, GA: SATURDAY MORNING, APRIL 10. j See Outside of Oils days Paper. Bombardment of Vera Crux. The great anxiety manifested by the public, to have the details of this splendid triumph of ; American valor and skill, has induced us to de- , ! vote almost our entire paper this morning to the j 1 glowing description furnished by the corres- , pondents of the Picayune. They will repay ! ! the anxious reader for their perusal. Our ed- ; | itorials are necessarily deferred. - t | Mr. Clay arrived at Ashland on the 29th nit,, and the next day he received the news of the battle, in which his gallant son was slain. — ■ When the intelligence reached Lexington, the i ! Circuit Court,which was in session, on motion | of Gen. Coombs, adjourned, in respect to the ' memories of Col. M’Kee, Lt. Col. C’LAY,Capt. j Willis, Adjutant Vaughan, and other officers and soldiers from Kentucky, whose blood was I gallantly shed in battle, and their names were . entered on its records. j General Taylor’s Obstinacy.— The Pic- j ayune learns from an officer who arrived in ! New Orleans from Gen. Taylor’s camp, that the day after the battle of Buena Vista, Santa : Anna addressed a letter from Agna Nueva to the Governor of Coahuila, in which he said that he had merely fallen back to that point to procure provisions, when he would renew -he J attack; that he hail three times won the battle, i I I hut that Gen. Taylor was such a stubborn old | Yankee that he did not know when he was j whipped. i The Fayetteville Observer of Tuesday, says ; “Mr. Webster and family left Washington yes- J terday on a tonr to the South and West. Gov. | i Graham had invited them to be his guests dur- | ! ing their stay in Raleigh, where they will proha , j bly arrive a few days hence.” [ i From the National Intelligencer, 7th inst. A Battle in New Mexico. ; i We find in the Louisville Courier of the 2d instant a letter dated at St. Louis on the even i ing of the 29th ultimo, which announces the 1 receipt of an express from Santa Ee, bringing 1 the tidings of another triumph of ourarms. The letter briefly states that the Mexican in- 1 ! surrectionista, numbering 2000 men, marched ! down on Santa Fe, as was intimated by our j last advices; that thev were met by Captain j Morris’s command in the valley of the Mono, : : and totally defeated; that a great number of the | I enemy w ere killed and wounded, and the rest ; i fled precipitately to the mountains. The action is said to have been a most bril- j i liantone on the part of our men, and such as • 1 to reflect much credit on their coolness and •: courage. The news of the assassination of Governor ! Be it is fully confirmed. Twenty-five other j Americans fell at the same time. The writer who communicates the above iu j telligence says that a want of time did not per mit him to give any further particulars, as the I steamer which was to convey his letter was about to start. We are the more inclined to give credit to his news, because the St. Louis 1 ( i Rt publican of the morning of the 29th men- j tions that an express from Santa Fe was daily expected. > Requisition for Troops. —Probable Move- '< . ment of Gen. Taylor—Exchange of Prisoners, - etc. —We have conversed vvith a gentleman , who honorably participated in the battle of j i “ Buena Vista,” in which conversation we ! • ! derived several items of interest, which we proceed to give to the public. 'I Lieut. Crittenden, who recently left this; city for Washington, carried with him a re- j quisition from Gen. Taylor, upon the govern- ! ment, for ten thousand additional troops, j Gen. Taylor, it is thought, will advance on j San Luis Potosi as soon as the reinforcement ' called for arrives. The Regiment of Louisiana Volunteers, it is ! I confidently believed, will have an opportunity to distinguish themselves as they will be di rected to open the communication between Tampico, which must necessarily be the base j i of operations, and San Luis Potosi. The bodies of the officers who fell in the ■ battle ot Buena Vista, have been placed, by ! j their friends, in coffins in which pulverized j i charcoal was introduced, the coffins placed, j temporarily, in vaults at Saltillo, until removed j I to their late homes, which will probably he done as soon as the communication between j Saltillo and Camargo is opened. Exchange of Prisoners. —Major Borland. ! Major Gaines, Capt. Cassius M. Clay, and their commands, numbering about eighty-two men. ; who have been prisoners in the castle of Perote were to be delivered up at Vera ! 1 Cruz. V I Capt. Heady, from Louisville, of the Kentuc- j kv regiment, who, with eighteen men, were ! j taken by the enemy some time since, were to | ; be restored to Gen. Taylor’s encarnpmen.— N. j O. Tropic. Colonel Jack Hays.—This gallant soldier reached this city yesterday from Washington by the Western route. He goes immediately to Texas to raise a regiment, or rather six more i companies, of Texas volunteers. We have | before alluded to the disposition to he made of | his command.— Picayue Ath inst. The Ohio.— lmportant Correction. —We hasten to correct a statement we made yester day morning in regard the Ohio ship of the : line. Capt. Boutelle reports having seen a i large ship when a short time out from Vera ■ Cruz, which he supposed to be the Ohio, but j she was not ashore. We are assured the error must ' ha' e been our own; as such we hastenlo cor. ] i edit, though at a loss to see how we could J have made it— Picayune 4 th inst. BOMBARDMENT of VERA CRUZ FURTHER PARTICULARS Erom the New Orleans Picayune 4 th inst. We hasten to lay before the public an ac count of the taking ol 4 era (. ruz and the Castle of San Juan de Uhia. The capitulation was completed oil the 2/th. and the Mexicans marched out of the city and Castle and gave up their guns on the 29th. On the 22d, at 4, P. M., Gen Scott opened a heavy fire from his batteries, consisting of nine me tars, four long 24s and two howitzers. On the 23d the battery on the west side of the city, sonsisting of four 68 Paixhan guns and two long 325, manned by officers and seamen of the navy, opened amost’destrnctive fire, making treaches through the walls and sweeping the sireets of the devoted city. It was here that Midshipman Shubfick and seven seamen fell, while gallantly sustaining the honor of their country. The fire was kept up from our batteries until the morn ing of the 261 h, at which time the commence ment of a norther caused a mutual suspen sion of hostilities. The “ Musquito Fleet,” consisting of the steamer Spitfire, Capt. Tat na.ll; steamer Vixen , Capt. Sands; schooners Bonita, Lieut. Denham ; Petrel, Lieut. Shaw; Keefer, Lieut. Sterrelt; Tampico, Lieut. Grif fin. and Falcon, Lieut. Glasson : all under the immediate command of Capt. Tatnall, got un der way from Sacrificios soon after the opening of our land batteries, and stood close into the city. From this position they threw a large number of shell and round shot into it, which caused much destruction. They came to an chor at night in the position which they had taken, and at daylight on the ensuing morning they moved to the northward of the Washer woman shoals, and commenced the cannonade. At this time they were within a quarter of a mile of the castle, the Spitfire throwing sev eral shells into it. The Flotilla sustained their position until 7 o'clock, and then they retired at the signal of recall from the flag ship. During the whole time they were under the guns of the castle and city, and notwithstanding a heavy and inces sant fire from the guns of the castle and Fort Santiago, they retired without the loss of a man, the destruction of Capt. Tatnall’s “gig” being the only loss sustained. The preliminaries for the surrender were entered into and arranged on the 27th and 28th, and on the 29th the enemy, to the number of 4909. marched out of the city and stacked their arms in the presence of our whole army; their : officers being allowed to retain their side arms, j and their liberty on parole. The parole of the ( officers also required that the men should not serve again during the war, or until exchanged. ; Morales, who had command of the city, had refused to rurrender as long as a shot was left ; or a soldier to man a gun : he was deposed on the 26th, and the surrender received through j Gen Landero. Early after the commencement of our fire, I the gallant Capt. Vinton, of the 3d artillery, I one of the brightes o rnaments of our army, ; fell from a cannon shot which carried away ! the top of his head, lie had commanded the j outpost ol - 9eu. Worth, situated at the lime 1 kiln, within 700 yards of the city, from the first : approach of our troops to the investment. On the 25th. Col. Harney, with a squadron of dragoons and a few of the Ist and 2d Regiments | of Tennessee mounted men under Colonel ! Campbell and Colonel Haskell, and a de- j t tachment of Steptoe's flying artillery under ’ the command of Lieut. Judd, in ail 300 men, i had a sharp conflict with the cavalry of the ! enemy, in force of 1000 or more. The Mexi- j cans were on the opposite side of the Medelin i river, about nine miles from our camp, and I were strongly posted, having thrown up a formidable barricade, protecting the oridge across the river. This proved no obstacle to the impetuosity of our men ; they carried the ! bridge and cut to pieces and dispersed the Mexicans, after a short but decisive conflict Individual feats of gallantry were frequent during the melee, mention of which w ill be made hereafter. Lieut. Neill, adjutant of the 2d dragoons, received two severe wounds from a lance, but they are not dangerous. Os the M exican officers who were captured at Vera j Cruz five were generals, eighteen were Colo nels, thirty-seven lieutenant-colonels, five majos, ninety captains, and one hundred and ! eighty lieutenants, in all three hundred and i thirty-five. j Gen. Worth has command of the city, which i is occupied by his own and the division of Gen. | Pillow. Major Scott, of the sth Infantry, has ! command of Fort Conception on the north of j the city, with one company of artillery, and one | of infantry. Major Wright of the Bth, that of j Fort Santiago on the South, with a similar i force. Col. Belton has command of the castle of San Juan do Llua, with three companies each of artillery and infantry. Special Correspondence of the Picayune. Lives opposite Vera Cruz, March, 21, 1847. 9 o’clock, p. m. j ■ The schooner Harmonious Walker, (what a ; , singular name!) which left New Orleans on i j the 13th, with the goods of Messrs. Powers A | I Ogden, eutllers of the 2d Artillery, and arrived | i at the anchorage last evening, went on shore at a point just below here and sank. No lives were lost, but Messrs. Powers & Ogden lost nearly every thing they had on board. 1 was down there this morning, (three miles distant) | and saw the beach lined with their ruined mer chandise. Two-thirds of the cargo was in i sured. The schooner is a perfect wreck. The I hermaphrodite brig Ellen Clara, likewise went I ashore at the same place ; also, the schooner Pacific—both of which had dischaiged a load j lof mules yesterday. The schooner Swan, Capt. Martin, which arrived last evening from i the Rio Grande with despatches for Gen. Scott, ! also went ashore. The schooner Eliza S. Lei- i per went aground at the same point several | days ago. It is thought alt these vessels, except 1 the H. Walker, can be got ofl'. The U. S. iron steamer Hunter, went upon the Green Island ( reef, and the French bark which ran the block- j ade. and has been lying under the guns of the castle for several days, undertook to get otf last night, but the U. S. steamer Spitfire was on the j alert, and the bark, in trying to escape, ran up on the same reef with the Hunter. We can see a small schooner upon the same reef, and said to be the Alert, belonging to Capt. Simp son, of Galveston, who went out to assist those j on the wrecked vessels. This morning, the harbor master, in the quar- | ter-masters, employment, went out in a whale , boat with four men, to the assistance of those on board the Walker. The boat was capsized \ and two of the men were drowned. Two of the teamstears on the beach got into a dispute to-day —one struck the other, and the assaulted partv seized a bill-hook, (a kind of scythe for cutting chaparral) and cut his antagonist across the back of the head, causing his death. One of the marines posted at the cemetery (an advanced post near the city) was killed to dry by a fragment of the wall knocked off by a cennon ball. Our neighbors in the city have been paying their compliments to our lines, particu- ; lari v the entrenchments, as usual, all day firing some two hundred shots, I suppose, without doin* other harm than killing the poor marine | as above mentioned. The ten mortars were 1 taken to the entrenchments a little after srn down, and I suppose the other guns will be placed in battery to-night. It i- indeed time , that we should begin to notice the gentlemen, , for they have been firing at us for thirteen days, and I do not believe there is a man m the lines j who has not seen a shell burst over his head. I We will soon show them the diflerence between American and Mexican shell?. Among the ordnance to be used by U’ in the j attack, are six cohorn mortars, made of brass, , and stamped with a crown and 'G. R. tro- j phies from the affair that came off a long time | ago. at Saratoga. They are fitted into wooden j beds each of which is furnished with four ban- ; dies. In an assault, they can be conveyed by 1 hand close to the walls, when they can toss shells over into the town. Their calibre, judging from appearances, must be about 5-inch. j 1 ] o'clock, P. M. —They seem to know in town, that our people are planting batteries- Every now’ and then they open with their how. itzers, and then let off a few volleys of musket ry. There is a considerable force of Mexicans in our rear, particularly in the rear of Gen. I Twi ggs, who are evidently ready to strike when the ball opens. H. March 22. At 2 o’clock, P. M,, to-day. Capt. Johnson, j of the topographical engineers, was sent with a ! white flag and a letter from Gen. Scott, sum moning the town to surrender. This measure, of course, was simply a polite way of inform ing our friends in the city that we intended to return the compliments that had been received during fifteen days from their batteries. Capt. J. proceeded along the beach, with an interpre ter and bugle, nnfur’ed the white flag before the walls, and the bugle was sounded, as in such cases made and provided, when several Mexi can officers advanced. and the ranking officer received the letter, with the information, po litely given, that the reply must be returned within two hours. During his absence Capt. J. and two or three Mexican officers seated ; themselves upon the white flag, which was i spread upon the sand for the purpose, and j smoked cigurilos and kept up a very agreeable conversation upon matters and things in gene ral. At the end of an hour the bearer relum ed with a letter, and informed Capt. Johnson, in a kind of affectionate sub rasa manner, that Gen. Morales would see the Yankees d—d be fore he would think of giving up “heroic Ve ra Cruz.” Capt. J. now rose, exchanged the most affectionate assurances of respect and eternal friendship with the officers (“paying them in their own coin”) and rode otf. Scarcely had he passed the “chateau de lime kiln,” which hid him from their view, before one of their batteries opened upon our en trenchments. At half past 4P. M. our mortar batteries (seven 10-inch mortars and four 6-inch cohorns)Jopened upon the town. Thefirstfive or six shells did not explode properly, but the fuzes were immediately arranged, and not one out of forty has since failed. The moment our entrenchment batteries opened the Mexicans commenced firing from five city batteries and from the castle and its outworks. Their file, from mortar, howitzer and round shot, was in cessant, and their shot fell like hail upon our entrenchments. In a few moments the steam ers Spitfire and Vixen, and five gunboats, the i whole under command of Capt. Tatnall, of the ; navy, ran in close to the limekiln, and opened a beautiful fire with large PaixUan guns upon the town and castle. Nothing could have been l done more handsomely, and I could scarcely i believe that seven guns (all, 1 believe, that were actually in use,) could have fired so often or with so much effect, at that distance. A large i portion of the shells reached their object. This | effective fire was kept up until dark, when the j gunboats and steamers ceased. The fire ofthe enemy slackened at sundown. Onr mortar batteries were manned by a de ■ tachment of 150 men, of the artillery, under i Capt. Vinton, assisted by Lieutenants Van Vliet ■ and Parry . Soon after our batteries open j ed Capt. Vinton, with Maj. Scott, stepped out ! to a rather exposed position to witness the ef fect of our shells. “ .Major,” remarked Capt. ; V., with enthusiasm, “as you pass the mortars i i please tell the officers that the shells are doing ! | their duty accurately,” and he soon started and followed, halting an instant to speak to Capt. i j Blanchard and Lieut. Nicholls, (the Phmnix company, with a portion ofthe sth Infantry, under Major Scott, were in the entrenchments as a supporting party.) and just as he had re -1 gained his position an 8-inch shell passed through the parapet, without exploding, and hit him on the hack of the head, and he fell dead upon his back, with his arms crossed upon his breast. Thus fell as gallant and accomplished an officer and gentleman as the army could boast , of. I happened to be present last evening when Gen. Worth informed him that lie had him detailed for this post of honor, and witness ed the pleasing emotions with which he receiv ed this mark of confidence from the brave offi cer whom he so much admired; and was again present this evening when the sad news of his death reached (ten. Worth, who, deeply affect ed, soon after ordered his horse and visited the entrenchments. I was sincerely attached to this noble officer, (I do not believe he had an ; enemy,) and, with his numerous other friends, in the army and in civil life, grieve deeply the loss which the country, the army and society have sustained by his death. aturning of March 23.—Onr mortars played j upon the city all night, every shell takinff es- I feet. This morning Capt. Tatnall. with his i little steamers and gunboats, again opened i upon the enemy’s batteries and the city, and j kept up a heavy fire for an hour or two, when 1 they hauled off, the fire from the oastle proving too severe tor them. The Mexicans fired fast for awhile, and have since continued to pour in occasional shots from their several batteries. Our mortar batteries keep at their work regu- , j larly, the shells all falling and bursting in the j | city. Last night several large guns, from the ; : navy, were taken round to a new battery, and 1 | will open in the morning. They will be work i ed by officers of the navy. H. March 23, J 847.—9 o’clock, night. We have just had a regular alarm and turn j out in camp, all owing to a report that 2000 ! Mexican cavalry were on their way to attack ns J in rear, and force their way through the lines j into thecity. The scene at the quartermaster’s department was exciting and most ludicrous. Seven full companies of the odds and ends of camp—wagoners, hostlers, cooks, boatmen, ; clerks, servants generally, and what not —were i collected and armed, and every preparation ! made to annihilate the 2000 cavalry aforesaid ; but not an enemy appeared, and the whole af i fair ended in less than smoke. Another excitement, which had some foun dation, came from the direction of the city. In ! some way a number of small thatched build i ings, near the city walls, caught fire about an I hour since ; and what with the dryness of the i materials of which they were constructed, and the violence of the wind, an immense sheet of j | bright flame rose high in the heavens. The lu rid glare lit up every dome and turret within | the walls, and for a space the scene was one of inconceivable grandeur. Some of the igno rant thought the citizens were going to make a second Moscow of Vera Cruz; some thought one thing, some another—the real cause of the conflagration is yet a mystery. All is now dark and gloom}' in the direction of the city save when the fuse of some shell, in its curvated flight, is seen by the watchful looker. The officers of the navy are busy dragging , their heavy pieces up to the battery prepared for them, working by night as well as day. 1 trust they will he ready to open to-morrow. Yours. &e., G. W. K. March 23, 1847.—1 o’clock, P. M. The bombardment of the city has been in cessant all the forenoon, the enemy returning the fire at intervals, from the castle as well us the batteries of the place. A vessel with thir teen additional mortars has at last come in, so it is confidently stated, and with these, and the guns from the navy, Vera Cruz will be an un commonly hot place ia the course of a day or two. A prisoner brought in this morning—a fel- j < low who pretends that he has a family outside i i the walls—says that our shells did immense da- j < mage during the ifight. An officer of distinc tion, according to his story, was badly wound- I : ed, and he further states that a bomb entered the i house ofthe American consul, Mr. Hargous, j j and, besides doing great damage, injured se- ' verely a female who either had charge, or el 3 ! had taken refuge in the building. Os course ! ; all the houses in the city must fare alike during < the siege, those of the foreigners as well as the 1 natives ; yet I trust the latter part of the fel- j low’s story is incorrect in the present instance. . 2 o clock. —Another rascally norther, which i no one thought of or expected, has just burst i j upon ns with force, and again all communica- ! tiou with the vessels is cut ofl. i_ome one . says that the Orizaba, the highest mountain peak in Mexico, looked angry and frowning this morning; but in watching the bombard ment 1 did not notice it. The white top ot Orizaba is always plainly visible just before a norther. I learn that the little “ Musquito Fleet, as the small flotilla which came up and fired upon the town last evening and this rooming is call ed, sustained some damage from the shells of the castle. When they hauled off they were : certainly in the hottest kind of a place. The untimely death of Capt. Vinton, one ot j the most finished and meritorious officers in the army, is deeply regretted by all. Brave to a , fault, of a mind highly cultivated, of a disposi tion most amiable, and at the same time of a piety which never obtruded, he has been cut off in the prime and vigor of life. Noofficer in the army stood higher with his fellows—no one could be more sincerely mourned. The norther still continues, and a tremen dous surf is again rising. I trust the gale will be of short duration. Yours, Ac . G. W. K. March 24, 1847. — 8 o’clock, A. M. j The night has passed in comparative quiet, i an occasional cannonading being kept up on either side as if to keep one another awake, j ’Plus morning the firing from onr mortar batte- j l ies has almost entirely died away, and it is i thought it will not recommence until we have a far greater number of guns in position. The bombardment was certainly commenced too j soon. There are those who think the fire of last i night destroyed the roofs of a number of the ; largest stores in Vera Cruz. The couflagra- 1 tion was certainly the most grand I have ever j witnessed. The norther has partially subsided, and they ■ will be able to land munitions from the vessels ( in the course of a few hours probably. Shells | are now wanted more than anything else. Yours, Ac., G. VV. K. March 24, 1847. — 10 o’clock, A. M. The din ofthe bombardment has somewhat j slackened, it being found that the wagons can not carry ammunition to the batteries during the day sufficient to keep all the guns at work; still our mortars continue to throw shells into t the city at intervals, and every one must take i effect somewhere. Under cover of the dark ness to-night every means of transportat on at the command of the quartermaster will lie brought into requisition to carry up powder and shells, and in addition the battery of 24- ! pounders and 8 inch howitzers is to he placed in position. It is impossible to judge accurate ly of the effect of the 68>pouiid Paixhan shot from the navy battery, although they are seen striking the walls and houses of the city. Half past 11 o'clock, A. M. —A shell from one of our mortar batteries has just struck with in the city, and has set fire to a building which must he a depot for ship stores, as a dense black smoke is rising. The forts and battery ofthe enemy are returning our fire at intervals, both with round shot and shells. In the battery \ where the navy guns are placed, called the Malibran battery, four sailors have been killed this morning by the round shot of the Mexicans. Lieut. Baldwin has also been slightly wounded, : and two sailors seriously. Afternoon. 2 o'clock. —A shell from one ofthe I enemy’s guns has dismounted one ofour umr ■ iars, wounding three or four who were serving it. Lieut. Arnold, who had command of the gun, met with a very narrow escape. A large train of wagons, on the way to the batteries with ammunition, has been obliged to return on account ofbeing two much exposed to the shells of the enemy. The bursting of a single bomb near the mules must inevitably frighten ami stampede the entire train. 9 o'clock. Night. —The enemy, after opening from all his butteries towards sundown, has now slackened his fire. Our mortars still kept up the game at intervals. Large trains of am munition are now on their way out to supply the different batteries. March 25— 8 o'clock A. M. —Every gun and mortar, on both sides apparently, have been liard at work ever since tins morning—the roar of the heavy ordnance is tremendous. There was another conflagration la t night, illumina ting the entire city ; but it is said the fire only amounted to the burning of some small jacales near the city walls. During the night Capt. 1 Talcott, with his rocket and howitzer men, took up a position near the Fort of Santiago and threw rockets at that work. I learn that the steam frigate Princeton, with j Com. Conner on board, sails this morning for i Philadelphia. Her boilers are so near burnt ; out that she is now of little use here, j 10 o'clock, A. M. . —Everyone ofthe guns are now keeping up an incessant tiring upon the city. The enemy directs the most of his guns at the Malibran battery. I hear that two or j three deserters came in during the night trom ! the citv, who describe the effect ol our shells as j tremendous. Capt. Plummer, of the ship Talbot, is about j sailingfor New Orleans. The wind is fair and he cannot wait longer. In haste, g. w, k. March 27, 1847 —9 o'clock, A. M. Not knowing what vessel is to sail first, I have written duplicates of this letter to send ofl Iby any and every conveyance. It contains a ■ hurried statement of the events of the past three I days. j On the 25th inst. a portion of Col. Harney’s ! j dragoons, with two pieces of artillery under j Lieut. Judd, and small detachments of the Ist and 2d Tennessee volunteers under Cols. ; Campbell and Haskell, had a sharp engage- j nient with u strong force of the enemy at a for tified bridge a short distance this side of Medelin. The barricade at the bridge was carried by as sault. and the Mexicans were afterwards entire- 1 ly cut to pieces and dispersed by the mounted dragoons. They lost 40 or 50 men in killed, 11 besides many wounded: on our side the loss 1 was 3 killed, and 6 or 8 wounded—among the ; latter Lieut. Neil of the dragoons, severely but i not dangerously injured by a lance. Yesterday morning, the 26th, before daylight, j 1 a severe norther sprang up. At sunrise, a 1 white flag came in from the Mexicans, and un- > der cover of a truce for the benefit of foreign 1 families w’ere overtures for a surrender. The ; > batteries ofthe enemy had been mostly silent j 1 the night previous. Gen. Scott appointed a I commission, consisting of Gens. Worth and 1 Pllow and Col. Totten, to confer with the offi- < cers selected by the Mexican Gen. Landero, it I bemgstated that Gen. Morales was sick. The « members ofour commission, if I am rightly in formed, were instructed to insist upon the un- { conditional surrender of Vera Cruz and the i castle of San Juan de L T lua. Gen. Morales hav- i ing designated himself as commander of both, i with all the arms and ammunitions —the pris- f oners to be sent to the United States if Gen. is Scott deemed it expedient. Gen. W orth and j s the other commissioners went out in the after- i noon, when the Mexican officer requested un- < til 9 or 10 o'clock this morning to give theirjan swer. f Yesterday afternoon a deputation of the citi- < zens of Medelin came up and requested Gen. i Scott to send down a regular armed force to 1 occupy that town and protect their property. t Some twenty odd sail of vessels, mostly 1 schooners and hermaphrodite brigs have been t driven ashore by the violence of the norther, and i several square-rigged vessels have been dismast- i ed under Sacrificios. The gale has been one of i uncommon fury. It has abated this morning, j and I see several small boats filled with French j and probably other families, between the castle t and Sacrificios. They have been stopped by < Com. Perry, and not allowed to proceed to- > wards the fleet. With the timely warning they j i all had, they should have left the city before they 1 did. Gen. Scott told them plainly what he in- t tended to do. and it is their own faultif they did j e not believe him. ( March 27— 10 o'clock, A. M. —Gen. Worth g and the other officers of the commission have just started for the lime kiln, w r hich is little over ( a quarter of a mile from Fort Santiargo, to have a last talk with the Mexicans. I have learned, since I commenced this letter, that Gen. Scott will permit the Mexican soldiers, alter laying down their arras, to go tree to their homes on parole. An hour or two will probably tell the story, and I shall keep this letter open until the result is known. If the Mexicans do not come to terms, there will be a din of round shot and shell about their ears such as they have not as yet been accustomed to—our batteries are in creased and in the best condition. Half-past 1 o'clock, P. M —The commission has not yet returned from the lime-kiln, so vve are vet ignorant of the deliberations. An hour or iwo since a messenger came down to Gen. Scott from the lime-kiln, probably for fresh in structions on some debated point. The Mexi cans will palaver until the vomito or milleniuni comes, if they are permitted, which I trust and feel assured will not be the case. Their com mander asked for the same terms granted the Mexicans at Monterey—to march out with colors living, drums beating, trumpets blow ing, and their arms at their sides—but of course Gen. Scott will accede to no such terms. The two cases are by’ no means parallel. At Monterey Ampudia had two roads open bv which to retreat —here the Mexicans are com pletely hemmed in on all sides, by land as well as water, and entirely without the chance of es ■ cape. Quarter past o o'clock, P. M. —From a mes- J senger who has just arrived from the lime-kiln, ' where the joint commission is sitting, it is un derstood that the Mexicans have accepted Gen. i Scott’s terms, and it is expected that the treaty of capitulation will be signed in the course of an hour or two by the commanders on either ; side. Rumor iias it that two-thirds of Vera ' Cruz is in ruins—the effects of our Paixhan shot and shells. Never has so strong a place been taken with so little loss. I shall probably send tliis letter, or a duplicate, by the Prince ton, aslam told she is to touch at the Balize, at : Mobile or Pensacola. To return to the present I state of affairs: fearingthat the Mexicans may not come to terms, Gen. Scott is sending up additional mortars to the batteries. If the capi tulation is not signe 1, the destruction and car nage will be terrible. 7 o'clock, P. M. —The news now is, that all the articles of capitulation have been accepted by the Mexican officers, and that the papers have gone to the castle, as well as the city, for the signatures of the respective commanders ; after this, the documents will be signed by Gen. Scott, and then the stronghold of Mexico will be in the hands of the .American troops. It is asserted that many of the Mexican officers will refuse to accept their paroles, in which case they will probably be sent to New Orleans. — In front of some of our batteries a. number of volunteers have already approached to the city walls, and it is even asserted that the Mexicans have come out and sold them liquor. lam told that a guard has been sent out to bring in all stragglers. 11 o'clock, P. M. —The thing is all settled.— Toe commission has returned, the capitulation has been signed by all parties, and day after to morrow, at 10 o’clock, the Mexicans are to march out of their “heroic” city, which they were to defend until not a man was left stack their arms in presence of our whole array, and then set out on their parole as the cheapest way of getting rid of them. Thus has fallen Vera Cruz, and along with it the famous castle of San Juan de Ulna. If so much has been effected with the limited means in the hands of the engineers, what would have teen done with the entire amount of ordnance called for, including Alger's big gun, which has arrived at last ? Why, Vera Cruz would have been a heap of shapeless, sightless ruins in twenty-four hours after the bombardment com menced. while the morale upon the entire Mex ican nation would have been immense. And then, again, it might have been an agreeable and a pleasant sight to the officers of the foreign vessels, lying under Sacrilicios and watching al of Gen. Scott's movements, to have seen fif ty of our mortars at work instead often—to say nothing of the useful lesson they would have been taught. The actions of some of the foreign ers, in not wishing to leave the city until their own dwellings were trembling about their ears, would indicate a doubt in their minds of the ability of the Americans to capture the place.— They have found themselves mistaken, many of them when it was too late for either their safety or comfort; and hereafter the opinion will probably obtain, that when an American army sets itself down before a Mexican city, it is going into it most distinctly. I shall probably send this letter by the Prince ton, and a duplicate by some other vessel. It possible I shall get the terms of capitulation to send on. Yours, & c. &c. g. vv.k. March 23, 1647—11 o'clock, A. M. This is the first quiet day we have had in the last twenty, and words cannot picture the in conveniences, the annoyances, and the suffer ings the army, both regular and volunteer, has experienced during this period. One half the tune the sun has been fairly broiling the men in the valleys and upon the sand hills—the other half, with scanty rations and without tents, a large portion of the men have been ex posed to the rude, cold northers, and the c louds of sand that fairly blinded the eyes already in flamed by the fierce rays of the sun. The water too, has been indifferent, and insects have cov ered the men, and the labor has been incessant in the trenches, both by day and by night ; yet all has been borne without murmuring. To be sure, there has been some repining at the fact that the grand programme of the performances before Vera Cruz, in so far as regards the non arrival of all the heavy ordnance advertised in the hills of the day’ as intended to open the ball with, has not been carried out to the full extent hoped for and anticipated ; still, all have gone to work cheerfully with the limited means at hand, and the result of the seige must forever remain a monument in their praise. The head of the army and the heads of the brigades, the chiefs of ordnance, of the engineers, and of the artillery department, not forgetting the gallant spirits of thenavy have all been indefatigable and untiring in their efforts ; the quartermaster’s department has been zealous in giving its quota of aid ; the chiefs of the commissariat have done all in their , ’>wer to furnish supplies for the troops with alacrity—in short, all has been done that could be done to gain possess! on of a posi tion that the enemy fondly deemed impregna ble. To specify each officer wh has signalized himselfby name would occupy too much time and space ai this writing—to say’ less than I have done would be put down to my credit as a flagrant neglect. Gen. Worth has now gone out to choose a ground on which the enemy are to lay down their arms to-morrow morning. The ceremo ny is one that every person is anxious to wit ness, and I shall endeavor to obtain a front seat at the show. It is thought that the stars and stripes will be waving over the city and castle shortly after 10 o’clock, and I am told that the man-of-war steamer Princeton will delay her departure until after that event. From the city of Mexico, through the foreign fleet, I have later intelligence to communicate. On the 19th inst. it is reported that Santa Anna was in the capital, that he had joined the clergy, had put down Gomez Farias and Salas, and that with his new associates he is now anxious for peace. This news comes from a source that appears to be reliable, and I give it believ ing it to be in the main correct. It is further reported, that Santa Anna is at the head of 4000 regular troops, and that, aided by the church party, is able to make headway against any op position. In this distracted country, and among this uncertain population, it is hard to tell or even surmise what a day may bring forth; yet with the powerful aid of the clergy, Santa Anna may be enabled to keep the reins of power in his hands for a space, and make peace, or con tinue the war as may best suit his purposes—l am disposed to think, since his meeting with Gen. Taylor, that he has become heartily dis gusted with the war. Mr. Dimond, our former consul at \ era Cruz, and who was wrecked on board the Brit
