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the Liberals entire possession of the Rio Grands , except at Bagdad, at the mouth. I am assured by a member of the General’s staff that a naval expedifc on, frited out in great part at New York, is already on the way, destined to attack that place, also Tampic o, 150 miles down the Gulf coast. This will give tt te combined forces of the Liberals and Americans as a water base the Rio Grande, and with Matamoras « * * base of supplies; and it is intended to march on Monterey, and thence, if success should attend themthus far, to the City of Mexioo itself. It is believed]/ that a sufficient number of Mexican soldiers will by that time have rallied to the standard of Juarez tot •nable him to plant it on the eapitol and maintain it.down the Mississippi, over to Mobile and Apalachicola, then back and across the gulf to Brazos. She is an ordinary river steamboat, with a slight fender across her bows, to break back the sea. It was a daring deed to put out into the tempestuous gulf, on a voyage of five hundred miles, m such a craft.The current over the bar is rapid, and, being met by the waves of the gulf, is kept in a perpetual ferment, reudering it very dangerous to cross. The roar of the surf drowns all ordinary conversation.IThe bottom is literally strewed with wrecks of small vessels that heve essayed to pass over. Four feet11 there is, now that the river is at a!HOW IT HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT.The part of the programme which has thus far I*ea put into execution is, necessarily, but small, and consists almost entirely of preparations.In the first place, the Mexican Government has conferred on General Crawford a formal commission as Major General in the Liberal service, and giveiiand a half is good stage, and often there is only three. *Bagdad stands just inside the bar, ou a dessicated mnd-hole. No two streets, appareutly, run the same and the houses face in many directions. Theywayhim power to recruit a division and appoint all its Iofficers. A few days ago he issued the following order:“Republics Mejicano, Division Amesicana, 4‘Neab Matamoras, Mexico, December 22, 1865.[“Special Orders No. —. Extract —“Authority having been given Major General R. Clay Crawford, by the Mexican Government, to xaise and equip a division of troops lor the Mexican service, also authority to appoint such officers asmay be required for these troops, is herebyCaotain. with Anthontv to raise h com-_ . . . Bv orderof “R. c£.AY CRAWFORD,ppoiutedaptain, with authority pany, |o be composed of sixty-four men._ “Major General Commanding.“Official—A. F. Reei, Colonel and Chief of Staft ”As might have been supposed, this order drifted over into Matamoras, and created quite a sensation. 'The Ranchero has devoted all its editorials to the Aubject, for two days past, alternately sneering at ♦•General” Crawford, insulting General Weitzel, and ©ailing on the United States to suppress the “fili-buster and nip the plot in the bud. It denounces the whole scheme as a mere swindling plot to re-n%ore Northern confidence in the Juarez loan, and •ecure the acceptance of his bonds now in the mar-bet. It winds up a long article this morning by say-mg, “It is safe to conclude that, as long as there is any thing In this country to steal, there will be filibuster organizations on the other side.”Meantime, recruiting under this order has progressed rapidly, so I am assured. Some days ago 42olone! Reed, Chief of staff to General Crawford, published the following notice: \41FIFTY DOLLARS A pONTH IN GOULD,“And all expenses paid. Clothing. Ac., furnishedto all who will accompany me, as an esc curt to Monterey. Business of importance calls nse ’ to Daslt;a eouniry nuea with roving md for my nersoual safety l wisVi escort. Address, or call on.•ColonelIt does not seem to have occurred to the Imperialists across the river that the author of this was at the same time serving as Chief of staff to a “General in the Mexican service.” But they did take notice of the fact that the Coionei advertised for no particular number of persons for his “escort,” and also that lie expected to meet “roving bands of soldiers,” and tauntingly ask if the few thousand that Genera Mejia has in Matamoras will not be included in thlt; number. * * ’•**I can not stata how many men have probably been enhsted by General Crawford, In reply to aquestion, I was told “more than enough to take Matamoras.Tha Liberals are hovering about Matamoras, in /our detachments, numbering altogether about 2,300 xnen. Beside tbose, there are in the neighborhood •bout 2,000 more irregular squads. So closely do these keep the lines drawn about the city that the Imperialists never venture out above five miles be-areare all very small, and at least half of them have a little cupola on top. with a^tairway leading to them over the roof. These are for the inhabitants to take a morning airing in—a very neeafiil affair in the*l«9e, muggy atmosphere of the summer months inthis latitude. TClarksville stands opposite, and is 'still more wretched—the only thing that redeems it from utter contempt is the abundance of American flags that wave over it, as in defiance to the mongrel bunting of the opposite shore. Every thing else looks strange, l roreign. Mexicans, with their broad-brimmed hats, r md wrapped in their strangely colored blankets, r. aix with French soldiers, boys in blue, darkies, A mericans and Mestizoes. English, French, Ger-m ans, aud Spanish, miuglein discordant babble, and hi. \U above the whole, and prevalent overall, is the iri epressible braying of the mules.J lei e the Rio Grande is surprisingly narrow—not more* than two boat lengths in width, though it is wiaken-above. This is only one of the several branches l»y a hich it is discharged, beside it has, at this poi nt, a very rapid current. It is said to be one of the xapldest rivers of the United States. Its channel is v ery ctrooked, many of the bends being so abrupt thaUthero no way for the boat to pass them, but to drivle her head into the opposite bank, swing aronnd and tthen titart afresh. The most skillful pilot will do well if he .makes the passage to Brownsville—ninety miiee—without striking the baok a score of times.At, first thlt;e banks are very low, sometimes scarcely higher than the water, and in the Interior, on eithier suite, are many lagoons, stretching, often, over hunttreds of acres. The soil, for ten or fifteen mile** up the nver, is a dead level, interspersed with ooonsionaJ ridges of sand that seem to have been the dividing lines between lagoons that, in. remote times, stiretched over the surface. For several miles back from the ooast of the gulf, it is largely composed of sand, and is covered with nothing l?ut the most stsnted shmbbery and weeds; gradually the shrubs increase in .size, indicating a greater proportion of alluvial matter, aud here a few trees reach a hight of twenty-five or thirty feet. For the last fifty miles it is fertile, bey ond any thing I have ever seen, except in the greatVprairies of Arkansas. Cane-brakesshoot up to a hig Bt of eighteen or twenty feet; thevast, almost boundless, levels along the banks,stretching away for* leagues, wer® covered with agrowth of native grave, afoot high, on which were pasturing herds of c attle and flocks of sheep and goats. Horses and ltiules wandered in droves of from twelve to thirty, tnd here and there sat a little, hony man or boy, on a mule or a shaggy pony, his head oovered witn som e thing less than a house-top, .for a h»t, watching his fl ocks.But such farming I T1 ley set two rows of scraggy sticks in the ground anal between them weave inthorny brush and reeds Jor a fence. Not*a single field has been cleared for plowing, only those being cultivated that w*ere naturally fitted. A man cuts a crookied stick from the foreat, hitches a mule to one end, holds (he other himself, and calls it “piowioj The operation is sufficient to cause the surface• jonStopoi^ertic iancE.cocTodj:lt;1recforcerseccaboutto t l'roithewaiSared clai by iosolKCEITthronSurthiiconalremaieiglcl as CorTon IthatainantpenactithatwoethaiConhigitualtheilar in tlNA)Tthetainlectsteamitsel «CU84penandwailsionmgshesiwouishrtionwhwbarslosswartogsbensuffi boai Tl te ti of C und tecti Capi couf
Newspaper Details
Cincinnati Commercial
Cincinnati, Ohio, US
Sat, Jan 20, 1866
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Texas A.
TX, USA 04 May 2021
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