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There is another circumstance which, some think, may assist in "accommodating" our valiant little corps to a battle. You will doubtless have heard, through the papers, of an expedition of Bre't. Col. Harney, of the U.S. Dragoons, to Rio Grande, "upon his own hook." His chivalrous capture of the Presidio del Rio Grande has scarcely been surpassed since the days of Knight errantry. Arriving at the river (which is the Rio del Norte of the North), he plunged in with his army, without knowing what opposition might be offered, and swam across to the town, during which, as I have heard several of his officers confess, even a few dozens of the enemy might easily have defeated completely the entire regiment; yet fortunately enough, no doubt, for our country's credit, some 200 Mexican troops who were stationed there "ingloriously fled," upon the first approach of our army. Their only difficulty or loss, therefore, was in the element they had braved with so much temerity, whereby a man was drowned, and the lives of others were greatly endangered, but for the timely assistance of Mexican citizens themselves, who were active in extracting them from the water. But the adventurous Colonel had hardly begun to enjoy his conquest, when an order reached him from Gen. Taylor, for his return; and soon after he was arrested by another from Gen Wool -- returning here, three or four weeks ago, with the greater portion of his regiment, which was mostly volunteers. But having left three companies of volunteers at Rio Grande, and these being also soon ordered back here, eight of them, while engaged in crossing provisions, in a canoe,

written along left margin how or other, and, instead of embarking with the army from Missouri, as I otherwise might, I came here, at the solicitation of several friends with the hope that I might be more useful with the army of Chihuahua than at Santa Fe, where there were so many as well acquainted with the country, if not better, than myself: usefulness, emphatically was what I aimed at -- think others what they may about it.