LETTERS FROM BROWNSVILLE: "WE ARE A BESIEGED TOWN...."

Special Correspondence to The Picayune
Nov. 2, 1859

"We have lately been feeling some of the rigors of a besieged town.

"In addition to the particulars furnished by the newspaper here, I will add that the enemy have been for several days encamped about a mile and a half above here, while small parties range through the country gathering up all the cattle and horses belonging to the Americans and driving them off to the ranch of Cortina. They have made several feints to attack, but never have come quite near enough for our howitzers.

"To the honor and credits of authorities of Matamoros and of their troops, it should be said that they have been prompt in rendering us aid ever since our reinvasion by the lawless men under Cortina. In deed, the only blood shed on our side on the 24th was that of the soldiery of Mexico from Matamoros.

"We receive no mail from Laredo or Corpus Christi, so that communication with the interior of Texas, and your mail cam up safely on the Mexican side of the river. The newspaper mail has not arrived.

"We hope for Rangers in a  few days, but can have no knowledge when, though Cortina, of course, has full information.

"The troops ordered by government cannot reach this place for months. It is reported from above that all the Mexicans, with few exceptions, on this side of the Rio Grande, almost to the Nueces have joined Cortina's party, but there are not many of them comparatively with him.

"How Cortina is sustained is a mystery. Many think in Matamoros that he is an agent of the Republicans. But with his talents as a robber chief, and the national hatred of the Americans, he can easily get aid. I am convinced, however, that the authorities of Matamoros have given none.
Yours-----L.

"P.S. I am sorry to say that Mrs. Woodhouse, wife of H.E. Woodhouse, esq., merchant of this place, died day before yesterday, of pure fright and exhaustion, having become thoroughly impressed with the belief that all would be destroyed and that no hope remained. She died on the steamboat Grampus, on her trip to Brazos and will come up today for interment.

"Sr. Col. Loranca and the Mexican troops are still with us.

"We are indebted to a mercantile firm of this city, engaged largely on the Rio Grande trade for the following extract of a a letter from their branch office at Brownsville dated Nov. 1 (1859):

"Owing to the bad state of affairs in the interior, and more probably on account of bad roads, we have no news from Northern Mexico. Three of four conductas are expected for next week, bringing together about $3,000,000.

"Affairs here are rather worse than when we last wrote. We are besieged, and our communications with Texas interrupted. Cortina's band have stopped and opened all the letters by way of Corpus Christi twice, the Laredo mail thrice, and would have stopped the Arizona mails from New Orleans if they had not been brought up the Mexican side of the river.

"We are still alone, without any assistance from the United States government or that of Texas. We are in constant alarm, barricaded, on guard all night, with every now and then a few shots exchanged with the enemy, who come to the outskirts of the town to provoke us.
"The extra of The Flag will give you an idea of our situation.

"We lost the battle; two cannon were taken from us; but no wounded on our side. On the part of our Mexican auxiliaries, five were wounded and two killed. The other party's loss could not be ascertained.

"We are anxiously waiting the arrival of the volunteers from San Antonio, but have no news of them except that they have been ordered to be raised in San Antonio. In the meantime, we expect an attack hourly, and the writer, as well as other Americans, keeps his arms about him day and night, as we have about thee alarms a day – morning, noon and night.