It has since transpired that but for this timely action on the part of Col. Fremont and the resolute Americans associated with him, a large force would have been landed from the British fleet in that vicinity, and California would have been taken possession of by England, under an arrangement with its Mexican Governor.
It had been taken possession of by Admiral Drake for England in the year 1579, under the name of “New Albion,” and the vague British claim was to be revived in the interest of English capitalists who held the bonds of Mexico to the amount of one hundred and fifty millions of dollars.
A few months after these stirring and important events on the Pacific slope, Col. A. W. Doniphan began his famous march from Santa Fé to Saltillo.
He started on November 13th, 1846, with a force consisting of nine hundred Missouri cavalry and two batteries of Missouri artillery. A part of his command 500 strong was attacked on Christmas Day at Brazito by a force of 1,000 Mexicans, which they defeated in twenty minutes. They again defeated the enemy on February 28th, 1847, at Sacramento, near the city of Chihuahua, and entered that important city triumphantly. On the next day Doniphan began his march through the Northern States of Mexico, back to Saltillo. He accomplished this renowned march, winning victories as he went, in forty days, a distance of 1,500 miles. This dims the lustre of the retreat of the ten thousand Greeks from the field of Cunaxa, as graphically described by Xenophon, their commander and historian.
While these events were in progress, Col. Sterling Price, of Missouri, who had been left by Doniphan at Santa Fé, with a force of about 500 men, had been, as he always was, active and successful.
On January 19th, 1847, Governor Charles Bent, with thirty-five other Americans were massacred at Taos, New Mexico, in cold blood by a Mexican force of about two thousand cavalry, which soon after appeared in the vicinity of Santa Fé. Price attacked and defeated them, after a desperate conflict, at Canada, about 18 miles north of Santa Fé. He pursued them on their retreat, and two days later inflicted severe loss upon them at Embedo, and finally on February 4th he utterly routed them at Taos, the scene of their recent savage atrocity.
The scene now opens on a broader field of action.
On the 9th of March, 1847, the Army of Mexico, under the command of Major-General Winfield Scott, that most regal of American soldiers, never to be named by us, comrades, but with uplifted hat, began its victorious march for the “Halls of the Montezumas.” General Scott on that day effected the landing of his army at Sacrificios, an island seven miles west of Vera Cruz. The landing was made in seventy-five surf boats, each carrying seventy-five men, under cover of our fleet, commanded by Commodore Conner, with those able and dashing officers Commodores Perry and Tatnall commanding squadrons of the fleet. The army there numbered 13,200 rank and file. General Scott established his lines on the north and east fronts of Vera Cruz on the same day. Within ten days he had planted five large siege batteries built of sand bags about 1,000 yards from the walls of the city. One of them was mounted with 8-inch ship guns, and manned by sailors from the fleet.
A demand for the surrender of the city having been made and refused, our guns opened fire on March 22nd, and for three days and nights rained upon it the red ruin of avenging war. On the morning of the 25th, General Laudero, commanding the garrison of the city and the Castle of San Juan d’Ulloa, sent in a flag of truce with overtures of surrender. He at first proposed to surrender the city alone. General Scott refused this, as the castle distant but a mile to the South East of the city, completely commanded it, and he therefore demanded its surrender also.
This demand was finally acceded to and the surrender of the Castle of San Juan d’Ulloa, and the City of Vera Cruz, with their garrisons 8,000 strong was formally made on March 29, 1847. Our loss was but sixteen killed and wounded.