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J" liberty and mv native soil." VOL. 4. ABBEYILLE C. H., S. C., APRIL 21, 1847. ~ NO. 8. _ , ^ / Published every Wednesday, toy V, CHARLES H. ALLEN, ) Editor and Proprietor. Terms. ONE DOLLAR AND FIFTY CENTS if paid within three months from the timo of subscribing, or TWO DOLLARS if paid within six months, and TWO DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS if not-paid until the end of tho year. No subscription received for less than six months; and 110 papor discontinued until all arrearages are paid. Subscriptions will be continued unless notice bo given OthtotVilsfc, previous to the close of volume. No paper will bo sont out of the Stato unless payment is made in advance. 1 ADVERTISEMENTS, inserted at 75 cts. por equaro of twelve Sines for the first insertion; and, 37 1-2 cts. for each continuance. Those not having the desired number of skisertions marked upon them, will be continued until ^ordered out and charged ac i: 1 curuuigiy* ESTRAYS, Tolled TWO DOLLARS, to be ridid by the Magistrate. For announcing a Candidate TWO DOLLARS, in advance. The Postage muBt bo paid upon all letters and communications to secure attention. From the N. O. Picayune, April 4, 1847. Fall of the City of Vera Cruz! ~335 Mexican Officers taken prisoners. We hasten to lay before the public an account of the taking of Vera Cruz and the Castle of San Juan de Ulua. The capitulation was completed on the 27th, and the Mexicans marched out of the City and Castle and gave up their guns on the 28th. The U. S. steamship Princeton, Captain Federick Engle, having on board Col Totten, of the Corps of Engineers, bearer of despatches from General Scott, and Acting Master T. 13. Huger, bearer of despatches from Com. Perry, arrived off the South West Pass on the morning of the 2nd inst. from Vera Cruz, whence she sailed on the evening of the 29th ult. making the run in the unprecedented short time of 82 hours! She hove-to off the bar for the purpose of placing three officers from the squadron on thetowboai Hercules, and proceded immediately to Pensacola, at which point the bearers af despatches would land. Co.n. Conner was on board the Princeton, en route to Philadelphia. On the 22nd, at 4, p. m., Gen. Scott opened a heavy fire from his batteries, consisting of nine mortars, four long 24s and two ' howitzers. On the 23rd the battery on the west side of the city, consisting of four 68 * Paixhan guns and two long 32s, manned by officers and seamen of the navy, opened a most destructive fire, making breaches through the walls and sweeping the streets of the devoted city. It was here that Midshipman Shubrick and seven seamen fell, ' while gallantly sustaining the honor of their country. The'fire was kept up from our \ batteries until the morning of the 26th, at which time the commencement of a norther caused a mutual suspension of hostilities. The " Musquito Fleet," consisting of the steamer Spitfire, Capt Tatnall; steamer Vixen, Captain Sands ; schooner^ Bonita, Lieut. Benham; Petrel, Lieut. Shaw; Reefer, Lieut. Sterrett; Tampico, Lieut. Griffin, and Falcon Lieut. Glasson, all under the immediate command of Capt. Tatnall; got under way from Sacrifices 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 anchor at night in the position which they had taken* and at daylight on the ensuing morning they moved to the northward of the Washerwoman shoals and recommenced the cannonade! At this time they were within a quarter of a mile of the castle, the Spitfire throwing several 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 aitd city, and notwithstanding , a heavy and incessant firing from the guns the castle and.Fort Santiago, they retired without the loss of a man, the destruction pi Oapt. Tatnall'h "gig" being the onlyJfcsssustained.. . Thepreliminaries for the surrender were \ , entered into and arranged on the 27th and / ?8th, and on tl|? 39th the. enemy, to the number of 4.000, march out of the citv and stacked theijr arms in the presence of our ** ? vfrholei army j their bfficers being allowed | id retain tljpir side arms, and their liberty ' I pit parole. The parole of the officers also % Tequiredthat, the met/ should not. serve * \ - Again during the war, or until exchanged. M fi Morales, who had command of the city, 1 had refused its surrender as long as A shot 1 ^as left or ^soidiettomana gun; he was -1 x deposed on the 2?th, ftn# the surrender reI *flaived,thronah flan T .a rulprn | Early after the commencement <of our 1 fire, thogallqptCaptain Vintdfl, pf the 3rd On the 25th, Col. Harney, with a squad-1 ron of dragoons, and a few of the 1st and 2d Regiments of Tennessee mounted men under Col. Campbell and Col. Haskell, and a detachment of Steptoe's flying artillery under the command of Lieut. Judd, in all 300 men, had a sharp conflict with the cavalry of the enemy, in force of 1,000 or more.? The Mexicans were on the opposite side of i the Medelin river, about nine miles from our oamp, and were strongly posted, having ! thrown up a formidable barricade, protec' ting the bridge across the river. This I r.rmrA/1 - * ? * ? * * n u\j uusiuuc iu uiu impetuosity 01 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 daring the mellee, mention of which will be made hereafter.? Lieut. Neillj adjutant of the 3rd Dragoons, received two severe wounds from a lance ; but they are not dangerous. Of;the Mexican officers who were captured at Vera Cruz five were Generals, eighteen were Colonels, thirty-seven Lieutenant Colonels, five Majors, ninety Captains, and one hundred and eighty Lieutenants, in all three hundred and thirty-five. General Worth has command of the city, which is occupied by his own and the divi?fh 1 tj:ii n/i_ :? o. _r.i stun ui wciiciui jl niuw. mujur ocou, oi me 5th Infantry, has command of Fort Conception on the north of the city, with one company of artillery and one of infantry, Major Wright of the 8ih, that of Fort Santiago on t i* the south, with a similar force. Col. Belton has command of the Castle of San Juan de Ulua with three companies each of artillery and infantry. Extracts from the Cor. of the Picayune. Lines opposite Vera Cuuz, ) March 22, 1847. $ At 2 o'clock p. m. to-day, Captain Johnson, of the topographical engineers, was sent with a while flag und a letter from Geneial Scott, summoning the town to surrender. This measure, of course, wassim ply o polite way of informing our friends in the city that we intended to return the compliment that had been received during fifteen days from their batteries. Capt. J. proceeded along the beach, with an interpreter and bugle, unfurled the white flag before the walls, and the bugle was sounded, as in such cases made and provided, when several Mexican officers advanced, and the ranking officer received the letter, with the information, politely 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 wasspread upon the sand for the purpose, and smoked cigaritos and kept up a very agreeable conversation upon matters and things in general. At the end of an hour the bearer returned with a letter, and informed Captain Johnson, in a kind of affectionate sub rosa manner that Gen. Morales would see the Yankees d d before he would think of giving up "heroic Vera Cruz." Capt. J. now rose, exchanged the most affectionate assurances of respect and eternal freindship with the officers (" paying them in their own coin^) and rode off Scarcely had he passed Sfc "chateau de lime-kiln," which u:_ r il.:_ i--r -e uiu uiui uuiii men view, utiiore one 01 meir batteries opened upon our intrenchments. At half-past 4 p. m. our mortar batteries (seven 10-inch mortars and four 6-inch cohorns) opened upon the town. The first five or six shells did not explode properly, but the fuzes were immediately arranged, and not one out of forty has failed. The moment our entrenchment batteries opened theMexicans commenced firing from five city batteries and from the castle and its outworks. Their fire, from mortar, howitzer | and round shot, was incessant, and their shot fell like hail UDon our entrenchments. In a few moments the steamers Spitfire and Vixen, and five gunboats, the whole under the command of Capt? Tatnall, of the navy, ran in close to the limekiln, and opened a beautiful fire from large Paixhan guns upon the town and castle. Nothing could have been done so handsomely, and I could scarcely 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 portion of the shells reached their object. This effective fire was kept up until dark, when the gunboats and steamers ceased. The firerof the enemy slackened at sun* down. Oar mortar batteries were manned by a detachment of 150 men, of the artillery, under Captain Vinton, assisted by Lieutenants Vart Vliet aind Parry ??. Soon -after our batteries opened Captain Vinton, with Major Scott, stepped out to a rather exposed position to .witness the effect of our shells. " Major,w remarked Captain V., #Sh fentliuJiiaem, "as you pass the Tartars pleaso tfeil the officers that the shells aire doing their duty accurately^' arid he soon I ^ Wed ,,;Jakaitiofir ?A i to I ULi A/>k'n?A T iionlpnilllt I.','':- ' . $ porting party,) and just as he had regained his position an 8-inch shell passed throu gh the parapet, without exploding, and hit him on the back of his head, and he fell dead upon his back, with his arms across 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 inform ed him that he had had him detailed for this post of honor, and witnessed the pleasurable emotions with whichhe received this mark of confidence from the brave officer whom he so much admired; and was again present this evening when the sad news of his death reached Gen. Worth, who deeply afFccted, 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. Morning of March 23.?Our mortars played upon the city all night, every shell 1.! rr ? mi luKingeneci. mis morning Uapt. JL'atnall^ with his little steamers and gun-boats, again opened upon the enemy's batteries and the city, and kept up a heavy fire for an hour or two, when they hauled ofT, the fire fiom the castle proving too severe for them. The Mexicans fired fast for a while, and have since continued to pour in occasional shots from their several batteries. Ou r mortar batteries keep at their work regularly, the shell all fallingand bursting in the city. Last night several large guns, from the navy, were taken round to a new battery, and will open in the morning. They will be worked by oflicers of the navy. H. Camp before Vera Cruz ) March 24. 1847?10 o'clock, A. M. $ The din of the bombardment has somewhat slackened, it being found that the wagons con not carry ammunition to the batteries during the day sufficient to keep all the guns at work ; still our mortars continue to throw shell into the city at intervals, and every one must take effect somewhere.? Under cover of the darkness to-night every means of transportation at the command of the quartermaster will be brought into requisition to carry up powder and shells, and in addition to the batterv of 24-nnnn<lprs and 8-inch howitzers is to be placed in position. It is impossible to judge accurately of the effect of the 68 pound 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 within the city, and has set fire to a building which must be a depot for ship stores, as a dense black smoke is rising.? The forts and batteries of the enemy are returning our fire at intervals, both with round shot and shells. In the battery where the navy guns are placed, called the Mali-j^ Dran Dauery, iour sailors nave 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 of the enemies guns has dismounted one of our mortars, wounding three or four how 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 battaries with ammunition, has been obliged to return on account of being too much exposed to the shells of the enemy. The bursting of a single bomb near the mules must inevitably frighten and stampede the entire train. 9 o'clock Night.?The enemv> after : c 11 l:_ i ! . i opening lrum an ins uaueries lowaras sundown, has now slackened his fire. Our mortars still keep up the game at intervals. Large trains of ammunition are now on their way out to supply the different batteries. March 25?8 o'clock, a. m.?Every Sun and mortar on both sides apparently ave been hard at work ever since sunrise, this morning?the roar of the heavy ordnance is tremendous. There was another mnflnnrrntirm ln?t nirrVit illnminntinrr (Vio ? ?b ? -""g 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 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 Com. Connor on board, sails this morning for Philadelphia. Her boilers are so near burnt out that she. is now of little use here. 10 o'clock a. m.-i-Every one of our guris are now keeping up an incessant firing upon the city. The enemy directs the most of . his. guns at the Mali bran battery. I hear that two or three deserters came in during the night from the c\Vjr, who describe the effect of our shells as tremendous. ? Camp before Vera Cruz> ? ments of the 1st and 2d Tennessee volunteers, under Cols. Campbell and Haskell, had a sharp engagement with a strong force of the enemy at a fortified bridge a short distance this side of Medelin. The barricade at the bridge was carried by assault, and the Mexicans were afterwards entirely cut to pieces and dispersed by the mounted dragoons. They lost 40 or 50 men in killed, besides many wounded ; on our side the loss was 3 killed and 6 or 8 wounded?Among the latter Lieut Neill, of the dragoons, severely but not dangerous ly injured by a lance. Yesterday morning, the 26lh, before daylight, a severe norther sprang up. At sunrise a white flag came in from the Mexicans, and under cover of a truce for the benefit of foreign families were overtures for a surrender. The batteries of the enemy had been mostly silent the night previous. Gen Scott appointed a commission, consisting of Gens. Worth, Pillow and Col. Totten, to confer with the officers selected by the Mexican Gen. Landero, it being stated that Gen. Morales was sick. The members of our commission, if I am rightly inr J lumieu, were in&aruciea 10 insist upon tiie unconditional surrender of Vera Cruz and the castle of San Juan de Ulua. General Morales having designated himsel' as commanderof both, with arms and ammunitions ?the prisoners to be sent to the U. States if General Scott deemed it expedient. Gen. Worth and .other commissioners went out in the afternoon, when the Mexican officers requested until 9 or 10 o'clock this morning to give their answer. Yesterday afternoon a deputation of the citizens of Medelin came up and requested General Scott to send down a regular armed force to occupy that town and protect their property. Some twenty odd sail of vessels, mostly scnooners ana hermaphrodite brigs, have been driven ashore by the violence of the norther, and several square-rigged vessels have been dismasted under Sacrificios.? The gale has been one of uncommon fury. It has abated this morning, and l see several small boats filled with French and probably other families, between the castle and Sacrificios. They have been stopped by Com. Perry, and not allowed to proceed to-wards the fleet. With the timely warning they all had, they should have left the city before they did. General Scott told them plainly what he intended to do, and it is i'np.ir own fnnlt if fhoir Hirl rini naliann Viim ?-J ?? - ~ ?? ??.. 11 o'clock p. m.?The thing is all settled. The 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 army' and then set out on their parole as the cheapest way of getting rid of them. I will endeavor to write a description of the evacuation to-morrow. The number of Mexican officers captured is nearly a? follows; 5 Generals, 18 Colonels, 37 Lieutenant Colonels) 5 Majors) 90 Captains, nnd ISft T.ipn lAlinntc orn nra tVirvoo o L I ready who ihink that a full and most unconditional surrender should have been insisted upon?that we had every means to enforce it?but I shall say nothing until I have read all the articles. Gamp before Veba Cruz, March 29. Sihce writing yesterday I have been able to gather the full sum and substance of the terms of surrender, and under the circumstances I do not see how it can be complain_ J _ O 1 A\ _ - rrt* ?* * ea or oy me mosi exacting. l ne lviexican members of the commission were Cols. Gutierrer de Villanaeva, Lieut. Col. Manuel Roblcs and Col. Pedro M. Herrera? courteous men, all of them, as I learn by those who were present. I have been unable to procure a copy of the terms of capitulation, but it amounts to the following : The garrisons in thte castle and different forts are to march out and lay down their arms at 1 o'clock on the 29th of March, (today^ the officers to preserve their side arms, horses, saddles and bridles. At the time the arms are given over, the Mexican flags arc to be saluted by their own batteries and immediately struck, after which the city,the Castle of San Juan do Ulua, and the Forts Concepcion and Santiago, are to bo occupied by the division of Gen. Worth. The Mexican officers are to give parole that their men do not again take up arms ufttil exchanged* ' In the mean time, ail.the arms, munitions of war and publicv stores* in the castle and in the different fort# and batteries, are to be turned over to ; pitulation. It might be well here to state that Capts. MeKenzie and Aulick, of the navy, were added to our commission as advisers towards the close of the convention. I presume that General Scott would have placed an officer of the navy regularly on the commission had it been possible to reach thfc fleet at the time that body was formed. It is bruited about that Com. Perry, with the smallest vessels of the navv. is to sail down to Alvarado this afternoon, and that Grener&l Quitman's brigade is to start tomorrow by land for the same destination. The object is, if the place makes the least ' resistance, to attack it by land and water. Let me give you a rumor current in camp, but not one word of which do I do I believe. As report has it, Gen. La Vega, is at Jalapa, or between this and that city, with 9000 men, ready to oppose Gen. Scott's advance. After the recent severe reverses of the Mexicans it would be hard to concentrate that torce. I send this, along with other letters, by the Princeton, and the boat of that steamer is now waiting. In haste, G. W. K. From the Neio Orleans Delta. Santa Anna. In reference to the movements of Santa Anna, information was received in Matamoras on the 26th ult. in a letter from "Tula, March the 11th." from a Mexican officer there, of Santa Anna's arrival in San Luis on the 8th ult. He returned at the head of a remnant of one of the divisions of the army with which he marched out to attack General Taylor?the remaining two divisions having marched in directions where food might be procured for the famishing soldiery. The writer remarks of the battle awl retreat: "We have suffered a far greater loss than in any engagement evep before fought in the country?upwards of four uiousuuu were left on the battle field or died on the retreat ?the army was destitute of provisions of any kind, and the soldiers were rendered ferocious by their privations and sufferings ; disaffection is wide spread throughout the ranks, and, I may say, the Army under Santa Anna is virtually broken up." Ge>\ Urrea.?This officer, lately the bug-bear of travellers and escorts between Camargo and Monterey, we learn by the Flag, if credit is to be given to Mexican ac-^ counts, is still maintaining himself on this side of the mountains. Traders who came into Matamoros on the 26th ult., report him at Linares, with upwards of 2000 cavalry only a few days previous. Better authority, however, must be had ere full credit can be given to such a report. Urrea would not bo likely to trust himself thus long on this side of thff mountains with any considerable force, after learning the defeat of Santa Anna. He doubtless struck for the Tula Pass, upon the advance of Col. Curtis from Camargo. Miscellaneous.?We take the following items from the flag of the 27th ult. Two companies or North Carolina volunteers, under command of Major Stokes, started for Camargo yesterday. They were actinc as nn psonrt tr? n train nf oivfv gons, sent up to take the place of those recently taken by the enemy. There are but two companies of volunteers now in Matamoros-?-Capt. Webster in the Plaza, and Felt, in Fort Paredes. All the rest have gone to fill up the dimished ranks of old Zack. Judge Rice Garland has been authorized by the Governor of Texas ,to raise a company of mounted riflemen, to beincotporated into the Texas Regiment/ TKe inducements to the adventurous are strong, andttfe Judge being the riglit sort of a man, wb opine the company will not be long in forming. Brio. Gen. MarshaiA.^T1u$* fjgaUant officer, as we stated in our last, wtts'stetionied to guard the Rincoha Pass, while Gerfe ral Taylor fought the Mexicans at Buena Vista. Knowing the disparity forces engaged, he stood like a ^'ar^iofto champing his bit, and listened to the can