No. 4. HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Matamoras, December 30, 1846. SIR: I came here this morning and found nothing but the same contradictory rumors. which prevailed yesterday at the Brassos and the mouth of this river. But an officer has just arrived here (for additional subsistence) from Major General Patterson, at San Fernando, who says, positively, that the latter had, on the morning of the 27th instant, official despatches from Major General Taylor, saying that he was about to return, with a part of his moveable column, to Monterey, in order to support Brevet Brigadier General Worth, understood to be menaced at Saltillo by Santa Anna and a powerful army. This information has determined me to proceed up the river to Camargo, in order to meet despatches from Major General Taylor; and if his outposts should be seriously menaced, to join him rapidly. Otherwise, I shall, at Camargo, be within easy corresponding distance of him in respect to my ulterior destination. If the enemy be acting offensively, with a large force, which I yet somewhat doubt, we must first repulse and cripple him in time to proceed to the new and more distant theatre. No boat has come down the river in many days, on account of the heavy winds, which make descent and ascent extremely difficult. Hence, nothing, it is believed, has passed here from Major General Taylor's head-quarters of a later date than the 14th in stant. The steamer in which I write is ready to depart. I have the honor to remain, with high respect, your obedient servant, WINFIELD SCOTT. I have received no communication from Washington since my acknowledgments at New Orleans. Hon. WM. L. MARCY, Secretary of War. W. S. No. 5. HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Brassos San Iago, January 12, 1847. SIR: I had the honor to address you last the 30th ultimo, from Matamoras, and indirectly through Colonel Clarke and Brevet Major General Jesup, the 2d instant, while ascending the Rio Grande, some fifty miles (by water) below Camargo. Going up and returning, I was much delayed by the lowness of the water and heavy gales, (northers,) which are again blowing with such violence as to prevent all communication with vessels lying off this place and the mouth of the Rio Grande. From those causes my despatches, which are to go by sea, have been accumulating for many days. Please read those which accompany this letter. They contain everything of interest, known to me, respecting the army and its prospects in this quarter, as I have no intelligence from Major General Taylor, later than his letter to me dated the 26th ultimo, and there has not been time to hear from Major General Butler in reply to my letters to him of the 3d and 6th instant. I transmit copies of all those papers, except the letter through Colonel Clarke and Brevet Major General Jessup, which was mainly intended to say that the march and countermarch of troops upon Saltillo, about the 17th ultimo, were caused by a false alarm. There has been a subsequent one about the camp of Brigadier General Wool, and others will probably occur at the advanced posts, notwithstanding the inactivity of the advanced corps of the enemy at San Luis de Potosi. Such alarms are very provoking, and frequently cause the interruption of the wisest conceptions and plans. I hope, in four or five days, to hear that Major General Butler is rapidly despatching the troops I have called for from his immediate command. No report from Major General Taylor can be expected in twice that time. In a week I shall begin to expect the arrival, off this place, of ships with troops and supplies, destined for the expedition against Vera Cruz. After replenishing their water tanks, if necessary, from the Rio Grande, they will all be ordered to rendezvous behind the Island of Lobos, should I not change that purpose on hearing from Commodore Conner about that harbor. As yet, I have not had a word from him, nor from Captain Dimond, who came out via the Havana. I do not, at present, doubt my arrival off Vera Cruz, with a respectable force, by the 15th, I hope, the 10th of next month. The delay will be in getting down, and embarking in this vicinity, the troops called for from Saltillo and Monterey, and perhaps in the march from Victoria upon Tampico. I think four or five new regiments of volunteers, together with the ordnance and ordnance. stores, will be up with me before the end of this month. I shall attempt the descent, &c., with even half the numbers I should wish to give to any one of my juniors for the same service. Should success crown our arms on the coast-and I will not anticipate anything less-I beg to repeat that a reinforcement of ten or twelve thousand regulars (new regiments and recruits for the old) will be indispensable, (about April,) to enable me to make a consecutive advance on the enemy's capital. I regret to perceive, by the newspapers, that, as late as the 19th ultimo, no bill had been reported in Congress to give such reinforcement. Authority to raise the new regiments would not fill them or the old in time, without a liberal land and money bounty to every recruit. A like compensation in land should be pledged to the rank and file already in service, on the condition of faithful conduct to the close of the war. Without early legislation to that effect, I see no probability of a peace until another Congress shall give the necessary means to enable us to dictate one. For my early operations on the coast, I find sufficient means of land transportation may be spared from this region, and the quartermaster general has my contingent instructions to prepare the large additions for my advance on the capital. He is now in New Orleans to procure additional water craft (lighters) for this terrible coast. Many of the old have been lost, and many more are likely to be wrecked. By I have received from the department, since my last acknowledgment, nothing but a copy of your memorandum made for the quartermaster general's office at Washington. A mail from New Orleans is expected on the abatement of this raging norther, by the steamer Massachusetts, on her way with supplies to Tampico. her I hope to hear that the volunteers, boats for debarkation, &c., &c., are in a state of forwardness; also, that, among the brevets which the department considered as due, on account of the capture of Monterey, those of Brevet Brigadier General Worth and Colonel P. F. Smith, have been conferred. The early confirmation of the whole number would have a fine effect on the corps, which are soon to be led to more difficult assaults. I have the honor to remain, with high respect, your obedient servant, WINFIELD SCOTT. P. S. I find that I have omitted to acknowledge your communication of the 14th ultimo, received as I was in the act of leaving New Orleans. I trust I may learn, in a few days, that a new assistant adjutant general, with the rank of major, has been appointed, as I do not expect to take one from either of the three major generals who are in Mexico. Hon. W. L. MARCY, Secretary of War. HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, SIR: From New Orleans I had the honor to address a letter to you, three days since, of which I shall send with this a duplicate, via Tampico, by any safe opportunity that may offer at the Brassos. In that letter, for which I had no certain conveyance, I obscurely alluded to the attack we are jointly to conduct against the city of Vera Cruz, and through it, if successful, against the castle of San Juan de Ulloa. The point of descent will not be determined until I shall have looked at the coast, and had the benefit of a full conference with you; but I now suppose that the nearer to the city we land will be the better. Your knowledge of the beach (its shoals and surf) is, probably, already sufficiently minute. I, however, throw out the suggestion that you may, if necessary, make a particular study of the subject before my arrival. Every transport will bring open boats sufficient to land her troops, and there will be others for the field-guns needed at the first moment. Orders for the construction of those boats, under the supervision of naval officers, were given last month; but I may need important aid from. your squadron in this particular, as in very many others. I still think it probable that I may give orders for the transports, as they successively pass the Brassos, to rendezvous under the island of Lobos; but will thank you for the earliest information and advice on that measure. Perhaps you may deem it necessary to send a vessel to make a cursory survey of the harbor. I have done all in my power to favor the speculation that my purpose is to attack San Luis de Potosi,. from Tampico,, after forming a junction with Major General Taylor, and it is important that this belief should prevail up to my arrival off Vera Cruz. I wish I could name a day, certain, for our meeting. The 1st of February may be about the time; but, I fear, a little too early. I shall certainly be infinitely chagrined if I am not in a condition to attempt the descent, with your coöperation, before the 15th of that month. Of the new volunteer regiments, I have no encouraging information as to time, and the troops in Mexico are now much dispersed; some at Parras, at Saltillo, Monterey, Tampico, or in march for the latter place and Victoria. More than the half of the whole, old and new volunteers, as well as regulars, I now suppose to be indispensable to the success of my expedition; and I shall have to make the collection, in great part, from some of the most distant points I have. named. The ordnance and ordnance stores, and other supplies will, I think, be up in good time. The water in the Rio Grande being low, it is now probable that, to facilitate the correspondence with Major General Taylor and the assemblage of the troops to be drawn from him, I shall not be able to ascend that river higher than Matamoras; but I may find time, possibly, to run down to Tampico in a steamer, even with the chance of being obliged to return to the Brassos. I have no recent official intelligence from the army, or the enemy, in Mexico. Perhaps the rumored movement of our troops. by land, from Monterey, or Victoria, and from the lower part of the Rio Grande, on Tampico, may not delay, but rather quicken the new expedition, as Tampico may be a better point of embarkation than the Brassos. I have much to learn on these points after landing, (say) to-morrow. If not otherwise advised by you, in time, I shall order all the transports, after passing Lobos, to rendezvous under the shelter of the Sacrificios. I have the honor to remain, with great respect, your most obedient servant, Commodore D. CONNER, U. S. Navy. WINFIELD SCOTT. Commanding blockading squadron off Vera Cruz. [Unofficial.] HEAD-QUARTERS AT MONTEMORELOS, New Leon, December 26, 1846. GENERAL: Your note of the 25th, from the city. of New York, was received on the 24th, on my route to this place. I avail myself of the departure of Colonel Croghan, for Monterey and Camargo, to acknowledge its receipt, and say a few words about the movements in this quarter. You will, doubtless, have learned before this can reach you, that I had advanced to this point on the 17th instant, on my way to Victoria, when I was suddenly called back to Monterey by news from the front. On my way to Saltillo, I learned that the cause of anxiety about the safety of that place had been removed by the drawing in of Wool's column, and the arrival of reinforcements from below; and after making all necessary arrangements for the service in that quarter, I resumed my march with General Tviggs's division on the 23d. To-day I halt here, and to-morrow move forward to Victoria, where I shall effect a junction with Quitman's brigade, and with General Patterson's command from Matamoras. At Tula, say 100 miles from Victoria, in the direction of San Luis, the enemy has a corps of observation, under Generals Valencia and Urrea, which we learn has lately been reinforced. I am, on this account, anxious to visit Victoria and examine the pass which leads thence through the mountains. When my presence shall be no longer required at Victoria, I propose, unless otherwise instructed, to return to Monterey, which may be early in February. At all times and places I shall be happy to receive your orders, and to hold myself and troops at your disposition. I remain, general, with high respect, your obedient servant, Maj. Gen. WINFIELD SCOTT, A true copy, received at Camargo, January 3d, 1847. H. L. SCOTT, A. D. C., and A. A. A. General. HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Camargo, January 3, 1847. SIR: I received here, soon after my arrival to-day, your letter of the 26th ultimo, acknowledging mine to you of November 25th. I am sorry that mine of the 20th ultimo had not been received by you, as it would, I think, have brought you back to Monterey. As it is, I am much embarrassed by your great distance from me. That circumstance, and extreme pressure of time, has thrown me |