The “Army of Occupation.” — Our latest
dates from Corpus Christi are up to the 25th ult.,
Wednesday last. The following extract of a letter, from one of our
correspondents, may not prove uninteresting:
Corpus Christi, Feb. 25, 1846.
The different reconnoitering parties
have returned to camp, and report much more favorably upon both routes
to the Rio Grande than was expected. It has been decided, I believe,
to take the overland route, via San Patricio, where the army will
strike the old Matamoros road. This road will be kept until opposite
that city, near which the army will encamp, while Brazos Santiago, or
Point Isabel, its port of entry, will be at once occupied and
fortified. In addition to the twenty-four pieces of field artillery,
(four batteries,) a fine siege battery of six 18 pounders, with
_________ will complete that arm, and be ready for invasion, should it
be found necessary. The army is under orders to be ready to march at
forty-eight hours notice; and before you receive this, the advance
detachment will probably be on its way towards the Rio Grande. Should
necessity require it, a naval force will doubtless be ready to
co-operate with the army. Point Isabel, or Brazos Santiago, I
suppose, must be the depot for the army, but we shall know more about
this anon.
Yours, scouring up,
S.
Source: The Daily Picayune, March
4, 1846, p. 2, col. 4.