USA > California > The conquest of California and New Mexico, by the forces of the United States, in the years 1846 & 1847 > Part 8
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" Your march and exploits have been among the most wonderful of the age. At the call of your country you marched a thousand miles to the conquest of New Mexico, as part of the force under Gen. Kearny, and achieved that conquest, without the loss of a man, or the fire of a gun. That work finished, and New Mexico, itself so distant, and so lately the Ultima Thule-the outside bound- ary of speculation and enterprise-so lately a' distant point to be attained, becomes itself a point of departure-a beginning point for new and far more extended expeditions. You look across the long and lofty chain-the Cordilleras of North America-which divide the Atlantic from the Pacific waters; and you see beyond that ridge a savage tribe which had been long in the habit of de- predating upon the province which had just become an American conquest. You, a part only of the subsequent Chihuahua column under Jackson and Gilpin, march upon them-bring them to terms-and they sign a treaty with Col. Doniphan, in which they
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bind themselves to cease their depredations on the Mexicans, and to become the friends of the United States. A novel treaty, that ! signed on the western confines of New Mexico, between parties who had hardly ever heard each other's names before, and to give peace and protection to Mexicans, who were hostile to both. This was the meeting, and this the parting of the Missouri volunteers, with the numerous and savage tribe of the Navaho Indians, living on the waters of the Gulf of California, and so long the terror and scourge of Sonora, Sinaloa, and New Mexico.
"This object accomplished, and impatient of inactivity, and with- out orders, (Gen. Kearny having departed for California,) you cast about to carve out some new work for yourselves. Chihuahua, a rich and populous city of near 30,000 souls, the seat of government of the State of that name, and formerly the residence of the cap- tains-general of the internal provinces, under the vice-regal govern- ment of New Spain, was the captivating object which fixed your attention. It was a far-distant city-about as far from St. Louis as Moscow is from Paris ; and towns and enemies, and a large river, and defiles and mountains, and the desert, whose ominous name portending death to travellers-el jornada de los muertos-the journey of the dead-all lay between you. It was a perilous enterprise, and a discouraging one, for a thousand men, badly equipped, to contemplate. No matter. Danger and hardship lent it a charm : the adventurous march was resolved on, and the exe- cution commenced. First, the ominous desert was passed, its character vindicating its title to its mournful appellation-an arid plain of ninety miles, strewed with the bones of animals perished of hunger and thirst-little hillocks of stone, and the solitary cross, erected by pious hands, marking the spot where some Christian had fallen, victim of the savage, of the robber, or of the desert itself-no water-no animal life-no sign of habitation. There the Texan prisoners, driven by the cruel Salazar, had met their direst sufferings, unrelieved, as in other parts of their march in the settled parts of the country, by the compassionate ministrations (for where is it that woman is not compassionate?) of the pitying women. The desert was passed, and the place for crossing the
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river approached. A little arm of the river, Bracito, (in Spanish,) made out from its side. There the enemy in superior numbers, and confident in cavalry and artillery, undertook to bar the way. Vain pretension ! Their discovery, attack, and.rout, were about simultaneous operations. A few minutes did the work ! And in this way our Missouri volunteers of the Chihuahua column spent their Christmas day of the year 1846.
"The victory of the Bracito opened the way to the crossing of the river Del Norte, and to admission into the beautiful little town of the Paso del Norte, where a neat cultivation, a comfortable peo- ple, fields, orchards, and vineyards, and a hospitable reception, offered the rest and refreshment which toils, and dangers, and vic- tory had won. You rested there till artillery was brought down from Santa Fé; but the pretty town of the Paso del Norte, with all its enjoyments, and they were many, and the greater for the place in which they were found, was not a Capau to the men of Missouri. It did not detain, and enervate them. You moved for- ward in February, and the battle of the Sacramento, one of the military marvels of the age, cleared the road to Chihuahua, which was entered without further resistance. It had been entered once before by a detachment of American troops; but under circum- stances how different! In the year 1807, Lieut. Pike and his thirty brave men, taken prisoners on the head of the Rio del Norte, had been marched captives into Chihuahua; in the year 1847, Doniphan and his men entered it as conquerors. The paltry tri- umph of a captain-general over a lieutenant, was effaced in a triumphal entrance of a thousand Missourians into the grand and ancient capital of all the INTERNAL PROVINCES ! and old men still alive, could remark the grandeur of the American spirit under both events-the proud and lofty bearing of the captive thirty- the mildness and moderation of the conquering thousand.
"Chihuahua was taken, and responsible duties, more delicate than those of arms, were to be performed. Many American citi- zens were there, engaged in trade ; much American property was there.' All this was to be protected, both lives and property, and by peaceful arrangement ; for the command was too small to admit
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of division, and of leaving a garrison. Conciliation and negotia- tion were resorted to, and successfully. Every American interest was provided for, and placed under the safeguard, first, of good will, and next, of guarantees not to be violated with impunity.
"Chihuahua gained, it became, like Santa Fé, not the termi- nating point of a long expedition, but the beginning point of a new one. Gen. Taylor was somewhere-no one knew exactly where- but some seven or eight hundred miles towards the other side of Mexico. You had heard that he had been defeated-that Buena Vista had not been a good prospect to him. Like good Americans, you did not believe a word of it; but, like good soldiers, you thought it best to go and see. A volunteer party of fourteen, headed by Collins, of Boonville, undertake to penetrate to Saltillo, and to bring you information of his condition. They set out. Amidst innumerable dangers they accomplish their purpose ; and return. You march. A vanguard of 100 men, led by Lieut. Col. Mitchell, led the way. Then came the main body, (if the name is not a burlesque on such a handful,) commanded by Col. Doni- phan himself.
"The whole table-land of Mexico, in all its breadth, from west to east, was to be traversed. A numerous and hostile population in towns-treacherous Cumanches in the mountains-were to be passed. Every thing was to be self-provided-provisions, trans- portation, fresh horses for remounts, and even the means of vic- tory-and all without a military chest, or even an empty box, in which government gold had ever reposed. All was accomplished. Mexican towns were passed, in order and quiet ; plundering Cu- manches were punished ; means were obtained from traders to liquidate indispensable contributions ; and the wants that could not be supplied were endured like soldiers of veteran service.
"I say the Cumanches were punished. And here presents an episode of a novel, extraordinary, and romantic kind-Americans chastising savages for plundering people who they themselves came to conquer, and forcing the restitution of captives and plundered property. A strange story this to tell in Europe, where backwoods character, western character, is not yet completely known. But to
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the facts. In the mosquit forest of the Bolson de Mapimi, and in the sierras around the beautiful town and fertile district of Parras, and in all the open country for hundreds of miles round about, the savage Cumanches have held dominion ever since the usurper Santa Anna disarmed the people ; and sally forth from their fast- nesses to slaughter men, plunder cattle, and carry off women and chil- dren. An exploit of this kind had just been performed on the line of the Missourians' march, not far from Parras, and an advanced party chanced to be in that town at the time the news of the depredation arrived there. It was only fifteen strong. Moved by gratitude for the kind attentions of the people, especially the women, to the sick of Gen. Wool's command, necessarily left in Parras, and unwilling to be outdone by enemies in generosity, the heroic fifteen, upon the spot, volunteered to go back thirty miles, hunt out the depredators and punish them, without regard to num- bers. A grateful Mexican became their guide. On their way, they fell in with fifteen more of their comrades ; and, in a short time, seventeen Cumanches killed out of sixty-five, eighteen cap- tives restored to their families, and three hundred and fifty head of cattle recovered for their owners, was the fruit of this sudden and romantic episode.
"Such noble conduct was not without its effect on the minds of the astonished Mexicans. An official document from the prefect of the place to Capt. Reid, leader of this detachment, attests the verity of the fact, and the gratitude of the Mexicans ; and constitutes a trophy of a new kind in the annals of war. Here it is in the original Spanish, and I will read it off in English.
"It is officially dated from the Prefecture of the Department of Parras, signed by the prefect, Jose Ignacio Arrabe, and addressed to Capt. Reid, the 18th of May, and says :
"'At the first notice that the barbarians, after killing many, and taking captives, were returning to thefr haunts, you generously and bravely offered, with fifteen of your subordinates, to fight them on their crossing by the pass of the Pozo, executing this enterprise with celerity, address and bravery worthy of all eulogy, and worthy of the brilliant issue which all celebrate. You re-
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covered many animals and much plundered property, and eighteen captives were restored to liberty and to social enjoyments, their souls overflowing with a lively sentiment of joy and gratitude, which all the inhabitants of this town equally breathe, in favour of their generous deliverers and their valiant chief. The half of the Indians killed in the combat, and those which fly wounded, do not calm the pain which all feel for the wound which your excel- lency received defending Christians and civilized beings against the rage and brutality of savages. All desire the speedy re-establish- ment of your health ; and although they know that in your own noble soul will be found the best reward of your conduct, they desire also to address you the expression of their gratitude and high esteem. I am honoured in being the organ of public senti- ment, and pray you to accept it, with the assurance of my most distinguished esteem.
"' God and Liberty !'
"This is a trophy of a new kind in war, won by thirty Missou- rians, and worthy to be held up to the admiration of Christendom.
"The long march from Chihuahua to Monterey, was made more in the character of protection and deliverance than of con- quest and invasion. Armed enemies were not met, and peaceful people were not disturbed. You arrived in the month of May in General Taylor's camp, and about in a condition to vindicate, each of you for himself, your lawful title to the double soubriquet of the general, with the addition to it which the colonel of the expe- dition has supplied-ragged-as well as rough and ready. No doubt you all showed title, at that time, to that third soubriquet ; but to see you now, so gayly attired, so sprucely equipped, one might suppose that you had never, for an instant, been a stranger to the virtues of soap and water, or the magic ministrations of the blanchisseuse, and the elegant transformations of the fashion- able tailor. Thanks, perhaps, to the difference between pay, in the lump, at the end of service, and driblets along in the course of it.
"You arrived in Gen. Taylor's camp ragged and rough, as we can well conceive, and ready, as I can quickly show. You re-
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ported for duty ! you asked for service !- such as a march upon San Luis de Potosi, Zacatecas, or the ' halls of the Montezumas ;' or any thing in that way that the general should have a mind to. If he was going upon any excursion of that kind, all right. No matter about fatigues that were passed, or expirations of service that might accrue : you came to go, and only asked the privilege. That is what I call ready. Unhappily the conqueror of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena Vista, was not exactly in the condition that the lieutenant-general, that might have been, intended him to be. He was not at the head of 20,000 men ! he was not at the head of any thousands that would enable him to march ! and had to decline the proffered service. Thus the long marched and well-fought volunteers : the rough, the ready, and the ragged : had to turn their faces towards home, still more than two thousand miles distant. But this being mostly by water, you hardly count it in the recital of your march. But this is an unjust omission, and against the precedents as well as unjust. 'The Ten Thousand' counted the voyage on the Black Sea as well as the march from Babylon ; and twenty centuries admit the validity of the count. The present age, and posterity, will include in 'the going out and coming in,' of the Missouri Chihuahua Volunteers, the water voyage as well as the land march; and then the ex- pedition of the One Thousand will exceed that of the Ten by some two thousand miles.
"The last nine hundred miles of your land march, from Chihua- hua to Matamoras, you made in forty-five days, bringing seventeen pieces of artillery, eleven of which were taken from the Sacramento and the Bracito. Your horses, travelling the whole distance without the United States provender, were astonished to find themselves regaled, on their arrival on the Rio Grande frontier, with hay, corn and oats from the States. You marched further than the farthest, fought as well as the best, left order and quiet in your train, and cost less money than any.
" You arrive here to-day, absent one year, marching and fighting all the time, bringing trophies of cannon and standards from fields whose names were unknown to you before you set out, and only
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grieving that you could not have gone further. Ten pieces of cannon rolled out of Chihuahua to arrest your march, now roll through the streets of St. Louis, to grace your triumphal return. Many standards, all pierced with bullets while waving over the heads of the enemy at the Sacramento, now wave at the head of your column. The black flag, brought to the Bracito, to indicate the refusal of that quarter which its bearers so soon needed and received, now takes its place among your nobler trophies, and hangs drooping in their presence. To crown the whole, to make public and private happiness go together, to spare the cypress where the laurel hangs in clusters : this long and perilous march, with all its accidents of field and camp, presents an incredibly small list of comrades lost. Almost all return ! and the joy of families resounds intermingled with the applauses of the State.
"I have said that you made your long expedition without government orders ; and so indeed you did. You received no orders from your government, but, without knowing it, you were fulfilling its orders-orders which never reached you. Happy the soldier who executes the command of his government ; happier still he who anticipates command, and does what is wanted before he is bid. This is your case. You did the right thing, at the right time, and what the government intended you to do, and with- out knowing its intention. The facts are these : Early in the month of November last, the President asked my opinion on the manner of conducting the war. I submitted a plan to him, which, in addition to other things, required all the disposable troops in New Mexico, and all the Americans in that quarter who could be engaged for a dashing expedition, to move down through Chihua- hua and the State of Durango, and if necessary to Zacatecas, and get into communication with General Taylor's right as early as possible in the month of March. In fact, the disposable Missou- rians in New Mexico were to be one of three columns destined for a combined movement on the city of Mexico, all to be on the table- land, and ready for the movement in the month of March. The President approved the plan, and the Missourians being most dis-
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tant, orders were despatched to New Mexico, to put them in mo- tion. Mr. Solomon Sublette carried the order, and delivered it to the commanding officer, at Santa Fé, Col. Price, on the 23d day of February-just five days before you fought the marvellous battle of Sacramento.
" I well remember what passed between the President and my- self, at the time he resolved to give this order. It awakened his solicitude for your safety. It was to send a small body of men a great distance, into the heart of a hostile country, and upon the contingency of uniting in a combined movement, the means for which had not yet been obtained from Congress. The President made it a question, and very properly, whether it was safe, or pru- dent, to start. the small Missouri column before the movement of the left and of the centre was assured. I answered, that my own rule in public affairs was to do what I thought was right, and leave it with others to do what they thought was right ; and that I believed it the proper course for him to follow on the present occasion. On this view he acted. He gave the order to go, with- out waiting to see whether Congress would furnish the means of executing the combined plan ; and, for his consolation, I under- took to guaranty your safety. Let the worst come to the worst, I promised him, that you would take care of yourselves. Though the other parts of the plan should fail-though you should become far involved in the advance, and deeply compromised in the ene- my's country, and without support-still I relied on your courage, skill, and enterprise to extricate yourselves from every danger- to make daylight through all the Mexicans that should stand be- fore you-cut your way out-and make good your retreat to Taylor's camp. This is what I promised the President in No- vember last, and what you have so manfully fulfilled. And here is a little manuscript volume, (the duplicate is in the hands of the President,) from which I will read you a page, to show you are the happy soldiers who have done the will of the government, without knowing its will.
"'THE RIGHT WING .- To be composed of all the disposable troops in New Mexico-to advance rapidly towards Zacatecas, and
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to attain a position about on a line with Gen. Taylor in the month of March, and be ready for a push on the capital. This column to move light-to have no rear-to keep itself mounted from horses in the country-and to join the centre column, or cut its way out if the main object fails.'
" This is what was proposed for you in the month of November last, and what I pledged myself to the President that you would perform; and nobly have you redeemed the pledge.
" But this was not the first, or the only time that I pledged my- self for you. As far back as June, 1846, when a separate expe- dition to Chihuahua was first projected, I told the President that it was unnecessary-that the Missouri troops under Gen. Kearny would take that place, in addition to the conquest of New Mexico -and that he might order the column under Gen. Wool to deflect to the left, and join Gen. Taylor as soon as he pleased. Again : when I received a letter from Lieut. Col. Mitchell, dated in No- vember last, and informing me that he was leaving Santa Fé with one hundred men, to open a communication with Gen. Wool, I read that letter to the President, and told him that they would do it. And again : when we heard that Col. Doniphan, with a thou- sand men, after curbing the Navahoes, was turning down towards the south, and threatening the ancient capital of the captains-gene- ral of the Internal Provinces, I told him they would take it. In short, my confidence in Missouri enterprise, courage and skill, was boundless. And now let boundless honour and joy salute, as it does, your return to the soil of your state, and to the bosoms of your families."
Col. Doniphan's reply was very eloquent, but, as he himself said, Col. Benton anticipated much. The gallant Missourian thus commenced his address :-
" FELLOW-CITIZENS,-I return you, on behalf of my command, our most heartfelt thanks for the distinguished reception which we have this day received at your hands. Such a reception entitles you to our warmest gratitude, and is deeply felt by those to whom it is extended. The honour conferred is greatly enhanced by the consideration of the medium through which it is presented. No
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selfish considerations could, we are satisfied, have induced the honourable senator to have passed this flattering eulogy upon us. The part which he has taken here to-day can add nothing to his fame. From an early day, his history has been identified with the history of the state of Missouri, and a feeling of state pride has induced him to give a favourable consideration to the services rendered by the volunteers of Missouri. To him, and yourselves, I again return our warmest thanks. The minute description given by the orator of scenes through which we have passed has excited our wonder. Indeed, so correct and minute are his details, that they resemble history, and I might almost say that they have be- come a part of history. L
"The few brief remarks which I shall make to you, fellow-citi- zens, will of necessity be disconnected. Man seldom speaks of himself, without vanity ; and it is a habit which I do not often in- dulge. Officers of the Regular army, whose lives are devoted to their country, may, by their prowess-by their long continuance in the service-obtain promotion. The ladder of fame is before them ; and, by their deeds of chivalry, they may at length reach the topmost round. Not so with volunteers. They only enlist for a limited period, at the call of their country in her emergency ; and then return to mingle with their friends. The only reward that awaits a volunteer, is the gratitude and warm reception, and honour of his fellow-citizens. If our services have merited honour, then we have been more than repaid.
" Upon returning from our arduous campaign, and when enter- ing upon the bosom of that noble stream that washes the borders of your city-when, in passing the magnificent country seats, bright eyes and smiling faces greeted us, and white handkerchiefs were waved in honour of the returning volunteers, we felt that we were sufficiently rewarded for all our toils. When we arrived at the great city of New Orleans, we were all unknown. That city is the thoroughfare through which have passed the heroes of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey, Buena Vista, and Cerro Gordo -indeed the heroes of all the brilliant victories achieved in Mexico -and it was to be supposed that they would have been wearied
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long ago. Yet their patriotism, their regard for their country, is unceasing. There was not a volunteer in this corps who was not proffered a welcome hand. The hospitalities of the city were ex- tended to all. Men who arrived there in rags, were clothed-the wealthiest merchants, who had never seen them, proffered them every thing they wished for their comfort, and on credit.
"FELLOW-CITIZENS : It has been said of Republics, which have existed heretofore, that they have been ungrateful. However true the charge may be with regard to former republics, it is not true of our own. Patriotism, talent, and virtue, have ever been remem- bered in this government, and they ever will be."
More eloquent words were uttered by Col. Doniphan, and happy as glowing were those addressed to his comrades in arms ; and warm and feeling were his adieus to the conquerors of Chihuahua.
His gallant officers then present, Col. Mitchell, Major Clark, Capt. Weightman, Capt. Hudson, and Capt. Reid, all eloquently bade farewell to men who must ever live in their memories, as they deserve to be proudly remembered by their countrymen of this wide Union.
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