Oxford Times, December 9, 1863
We are permitted through the kindness of Henry VanDerLyn, Esq., to publish the following extract from a letter of Major Jas. Grant Wilson now on the staff of Gen. Banks, in Texas:
Hd'Qr's Department of the Gulf, Brownsville, Nov. 12th, 1863
I take my pen in hand to give you some account of the Texas Expedition. We left New Orleans on the 26th ult., the fleet consisting of about twenty steamers besides a number of steam tugs, sailing vessels and three gunboats, as convoys. At meridian on the 2d inst. we landed without opposition, and threw the old flag to the breeze on the island of Brazos Santiago, about ten miles north of the mouth of the Rio Grande. The old banner of the Union will never again be removed form the soil of Texas, neither by her own misguided sons, nor yet by the foreign hordes of France, who are according to the northern journals, even now preparing to march to the Rio Grande. I will answer for it that the heroes of Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Vicksburg, now here, will not allow any French soldiers to desecrate American soil.
Wednesday morning the 5th inst., Gen. Banks and staff entered Brownsville amid the waving of handkerchiefs and sombreros. The inhabitants are more than one-half Mexicans, and all seemed pleased to see "Les Americanos." On the opposite side of the Rio Grande is the Mexican town of Matamoras, a place of about ten thousand inhabitants.
The day after our arrival, there was a revolution there, one General Cobos putting forth a pronunciamiento, taking possession of the place, and putting the Governor of the State, who has his residence in Matamoras, in prison. Next day there was another revolution at the head of which was a General Cortinas and before 9 o'clock his predecessor was arrested, taken out on the plaza and a juxilado did the business for poor Cobos, at the same time quite a number of the Cobos party were also shot, and before 10 o'clock all "quietly innurred," as Hamlet hath it, and the good citizens pursuing their usual vocations as if nothing extraordinary had occurred.
This morning by invitation of General Cortina, Banks made an official visit to Matamoras accompanied by Gen. Dana and their respective staffs, numbering about 34 persons. We were received at the place with salvos of artillery and martial music; were then introduced to Cortina and his chief officers, to the Governor of the State of Tamaulipas, to the chief Judge and various other dignitaries, after this, speeches were made by Cortina (who is of the Republican party and bitterly opposed to the Chruch or French interest) by the Supreme Judge, by Gen Banks, by the Supreme Judge, by Gen. Banks, by Gen. Dana, &c, followed by champaign and most friendly and patriotic toasts and sentiments. The whole affair was novel and interesting and seemed pleasing to everyone with the exception of a number of secessionists, who sought refuge there when our army took possession of the place (Brownville). It was through this place that the rebels received vast quantities of munitions of war and various other articles form Europe, via Mexico, in exchange for cotton, of which they sent from one to two thousand bales weekly. There are now lying on the Mexican side of the river opposite belonging to the confederate government, sent over just before our arrival, as it was, we captured several cotton trains which arrived too ate to effect a crossing over the Rio Grande before the "d.....d Yankees' as they call us, were upon them.
The weather here is very similar to what you have in Chenango in June. The gardens are full of flowers and the Orange, Lemon, and Palm trees filled with fruit. Oranges are as chap in Brownsville as apples in Oxford. The pretty Mexican girls carry them about the streets in baskets which are usually carried on their heads, they are also offered for sale in quantities by men, who drive through the streets with antique looking wagons, the sides of which are constructed of cane. Sugar cane is another article which is sold at every street corner, as the Mexicans are very fond of it.
Tomorrow the General and staff leave for Point Isabel and from there after a sojourn of a few days we shall sail for New Orleans.
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