WAR DEPARTMENT, May 20, 1847. SIR: I have received your communication of the 28th ultimo, in relation to troops having been sent to the Brazos instead of your column. It is proper that I should refer to the state of things as they were here understood to exist in that quarter when General Cadwalader received orders to repair to the Rio Grande, and the troops, then about to depart to the seat of war, were directed to that point. It was then known here that Santa Anna hal moved, with his large army, to attack General Taylor. Indeed, rumors prevailed here that a battle had been fought at or near Saltillo, of a much less decisive character than subsequent authentic accounts showed it to have been. There was reason to fear that General Taylor had retreated to Monterey. It was known that his communication with the Rio Grande was interrupted, and the whole line on that river threatened. The security of General Taylor's army was deemed to depend upon maintaining the base of the Rio Grande, supposed to be seriously threatened, and upon opening the communication between it and our army at Saltillo or Monterey. In this state of things, the new levies, &c., were urged forward to the Brazos to meet a critical emergency, not unlikely to happen, which would require them in that quarter. The Brazos continued to be the destination of most of the troops sent to the seat of war, until it was here ascertained that General Taylor had achieved a glorious victory at Buena Vista, and driven back General Santa Anna and his large army, and that the Rio Grande was secure, and the communication to the army under General Taylor was firmly re-established. This information reached here about the time of that which apprised us of your successful debarkation and the investment of the city of Vera Cruz. Thereupon, orders were issued from the department in April for the troops at the Brazos, and those en route destined for your column, forthwith to join you, and I trust that, by this time, a considerable body of them have reached your column. A confident expectation is here entertained that the troops which will join you, before the term of those engaged for twelve months shall have expired, will be quite equal to the number of volunteers entitled to a discharge, and that, by the end of June, your column will be nearly twenty thousand men. My communication of the 30th ultimo, and others of that date from this department, will give you full information on this subject. I am, with great respect, your obedient servant, Major General WINFIELD SCOTT, W. L. MARCY, Commanding United States Army, Mexico. No. 26. HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Jalapa, May 6, 1847. SIR: The accompanying papers, general orders No. 135, and 'copy of a letter of this date, to Brevet Major General Worth, at Perote, will show, to some extent, my occupations and the position of the army. The subject of that order (the old volunteers) has given me long and deep solicitude. To part with so large and so respectable a portion of the army, in the middle of a country, which, though broken in its power, is not yet disposed to sue for peace; to provide for the return home of seven regiments from this interior position, at a time when I find it quite difficult to provide transportation and supplies for the operating forces which remain; and all this without any prospect of succor or reinforcement, in perhaps the next seven months, beyond some three hundred army recruits, present novelties utterly unknown to any invading army before. With the addition of ten or twelve thousand new levies, in April and May, asked for, and until very recently expected, or even with the addition of the two or three thousand new troops destined for this army, but suddenly, by the orders of the War Department, diverted to the Rio Grande frontier, I might, not withstanding the unavoidable discharge of the old volunteers, seven regiments and two independent companies, advance with confidence. upon the enemy's capital. I shall, nevertheless, advance, but whether beyond Puebla will depend on intervening information and reflection. The general panic given to the enemy at Cerro Gordo still remaining, I think it probable that we shall go to Mexico; or if the enemy recover from that we must renew the consternation by another blow. Puebla, it is known, does not hope to resist our progress, but stands ready to receive us amicably, or at least courteously. Our difficulties lie in gathering in subsistence from a country covered with exasperated guerrillas and banditti, and maintaining, with inadequate garrisons and escorts, communications with the rear. So far, we have not lost a train or an express rider between our advanced post at Tepeyalhualco and Vera Cruz, a distance of forty-one leagues. The discharge of the old volunteers, and the rather unexpected increase of the means of transportation, here and at Vera Cruz, have prevented my personal advance longer than I had expected at the date (28th ultimo) of my last report. Those new means, combined with the old, sent down to Vera Cruz, may make up a train of wheels and packs equal to 600 wagons. It ought to leave the water depot on the 9th instant, in which case, with an escort of some 400 men from that point, and the returning volunteers in detachments, fifteen miles apart, on the road, the train would be sufficiently protected; but it has become doubtful to-day whether that valuable train, with, among other supplies indispensable to this army, nearly a million of dollars in specie, will be ready to leave Vera Cruz before the arrival there of all the old volunteers. Hence I am engaged in sending off detachments of horse and foot, to meet and escort the train to this place. I cannot foresee that more than one other train, from the want of escorts, may be expected up in many months. I allude to the wagons which are going down with the old volunteers, together with some additions which may be made below, and which must wait to come up to this depot, under the escort of Captains Ruff's and Walker's recruits at New Orleans, first ordered to the Brazos, but by countermand, from Washington, now expected at Vera Cruz. I cannot yet say how many of the old volunteers have re-enlisted for the war, or may so re-enlist at Vera Cruz, prior to embarkation; but probably' in all not more than four minimum companies. Í preferred that the formation of the new companies should be made below, as they would be in position to escort up any new train. I have no news of Major General Taylor, later than about the 25th of the month before the last. My emissary to him has not returned, but has probably gone as far as Monterey. I have the honor to remain, sir, with high respect, your obedient servant, Hon. WM. L. MARCY, Secretary of War. WINFIELD SCOTT. P. S. My latest despatches from Washington were acknowledged in my report of the 28th ultimo. It is from New Orleans that I have learned the rifle recruits there have been ordered to Vera Cruz. W. S. HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, SIR: The general-in-chief desires me to say that, learning that but few, if any, of the old volunteers will re-volunteer upon the expiration of their term of service, he has determined, to avoid exposing them to the vomito at Vera Cruz later in the season, to discharge at once all who are not willing to re-volunteer now. He accordingly desires that you require the quartermaster at Vera Cruz to have in readiness, in the course of ten or twelve days, or as soon as practicable, transports for 3,000 troops. I am, &c., Colonel H. WILSON, H. L. SCOTT, A. A. A. General. Commanding, Vera Cruz, &c. GENERAL ORDERS, HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Extracts of a recent act of Congress, published in the general orders, No. 14, dated at the War Department, March 27, 1847, provide for and invite the tender of "the services of such of the volunteers now in Mexico who may, at the termination of the present term, voluntarily engage to serve during the war with Mexico." The general order containing those extracts reached the generalin-chief at this place some nine days ago, and was immediately sent to the head quarters of the volunteers for prompt circulation among the regiments present, and appealed to, viz: the Tennessee cavalry, the 3d and 4th Illinois infantry, the 1st and 2d Tennessee infantry, the Georgia infantry, and the Alabama infantry, whose several terms of service will, it is understood, expire in four, five, or six weeks. This The general-in-chief regrets to learn, through a great number of undoubted channels, that, in all probability, not one man in ten of those regiments, will be inclined to volunteer for the war. pre-determination offers, in his opinion, no ground for reproach, considering the long, arduous, faithful and gallant services of those corps, however deeply all will regret the consequent and unavoidable delay in the prosecution of this war to an early and honorable peace; for the general-in-chief cannot, in humanity and good faith, cause regiments entitled, in a few weeks, to an honorable discharge, to advance farther from the coast in the pursuit of the enemy, and thereby throw them upon the necessity of returning to embark at Vera Cruz, at the season known to be, at that place, the most fatal to life. Accordingly, the regiments of old volunteers, and the independent company of Kentucky volunteers, serving with this army, will stand ready, on the return of the large train from below, to march to Vera Cruz, and thence to embark for New Orleans, where they will be severally and honorably mustered out of the service of the United States, and paid off by the proper officers on duty there. This order will be sent to those officers and the governor and commander of Vera Cruz, who has been instructed to have the necessary transports ready by the early arrival of the returning troops. There is nothing in the foregoing intended to interfere with the invitation, presented by Congress and the President, to re-enlistments, on the part of the old volunteers. On the contrary, the general in chief ardently hopes that many new companies will be formed out of those old troops, and presented for continued service, according to that invitation. He will gladly accept them for the war, and cause them, if not embodied into battalions, to be temporarily, attached to the weaker regiments of the regular army, as indicated in the President's orders, No. 14, above recited. Horses of the Tennessee cavalry, as well as officers' horses, generally, if desired by their owners, who may decline re-volunteering, will be paid for by the quartermaster's department here, at a fair valuation. The same disposition may be made of saddles and bridles, if needed for the public service. The four regiments of new volunteers present will be formed into a brigade under Brigadier General Quitman, who will desig nate one of the four for Jalapa and another for Perote, to constitute parts of the garrisons of those places. He will receive orders. for the commencement of his march at general head-quarters. Major General Patterson, rendered for the moment supernumerary with this army, will accompany the returning volunteers of his late gallant division, and render them such assistance on the way as he well knows how to give. He will report in person at Washington, or by letter from New Orleans, for further orders from the War Department. This distinguished general officer will please accept the thanks of the general-in-chief, for the gallant, able and efficient support uniformly received from the second in rank of this army. By command of Major General Scott. H. L. SCOTT, A. A. A. G. HEAD QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, SIR: Having designated a regiment to constitute a part of the garrison at this place, you will advance, with the three remaining regiments of your brigade, by the national road to Perote, and there report yourself to Brevet Major General Worth, who has been regularly assigned to duty according to that brevet. At Perote you will designate to Major General Worth another of your regiments, to constitute the principal part of the garrison of that castle. I shall endeavor to hold the other two regiments of your brigade together for the remainder of the campaign. As you will follow closely the first division of regulars, from Perote to Puebla, it is not deemed necessary to assign to your brigade an engineer, topographical engineer, or ordnance officer, as officers of those branches of the staff will be at the head of the movement, With great respect, &c., Brigadier General QUITMAN, U. S. A., &c., &c., &c. WINFIELD SCOTT. HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, SIR: Brigadier General Quitman, with three regiments of his volunteer brigade and a train with some general supplies for the army, will march for Perote to-morrow morning. Herewith you will find a copy of my instructions to him. You will perceive that a regiment of the same brigade is to constitute the principal part of the garrison of the castle of Perote. The remainder, artillerists, sufficient to serve the batteries, you will detach from your division, |