[4.] [69]Reports of spies. República de Rio Grande, June 27. [118]Berlandier, memo., undated. [66]Mansfield to Totten, May 4. [217]Henshaw papers. [76]Testimony at the trial of Arista. [76]Mejía, Feb. 28; Mar. 18. [76]Commander of zapadores, Apr. 8. Henry, Camp. Sketches, 68, 70. México á través, iv, 561. Campaña contra, 4.
[5.] Monitor Repub., Mar. 17. Negrete, Invasión, ii, 113, 117. Revue des Deux Mondes, Aug. 1, 1847, 388–93. [13]Elliot, nos. 12, 14, etc., 1846. [66]Mansfield to Totten, Apr. 2, 23. [61]Worth to Taylor, Apr. 2. [61]Scott to Marcy, May 7. [65]Taylor, gen. orders 42. [65]Marcy, gen. orders 5. Sen. 230; 29, 1. [224]Hitchcock, diary. [62]Twiggs to Davis, May 4. The principal causes of the absenteeism were assignment to higher duties elsewhere and the impossibility (owing to the lack of a retired list) of replacing invalided or superannuated officers. Locomotor, Mar. 27. Campaña contra, 4. Henry, Camp. Sketches, 129–30. Upton, Mil. Policy. 206. [285]Mejía to Paredes, Apr. 3. [76]Comte. of Zapadores, Apr. 8. [76]Mejía, Mar. 14, 28; Apr. 2. [76]Id. to Arista, Apr. 30. [76]Ampudia to Arista, Apr. 30.
[6.] [66]Sanders to Totten, Apr. 10 (Ft. B. badly placed). [185]Id. to Duncan, Apr. 27. [69]Requena to Arista, Apr. 30 (might have enfiladed). Hitchcock, Fifty Years, 217. República de Rio Grande, June 27. Picayune, May 10. [118]Berlandier, memo. (Groves) Ampudia, Address (1846). [52]Wickliffe to Buchanan, May 21, 1845. Giddings, Camp., 36. Niles, May 16, p. 165; 23, p. 179. Kenly, Md. Vol., 42. Polk, Diary, Apr. 1, 1847. [218]Henshaw narrative. Apuntes, 35. [66]Sanders to Taylor, May 2. Wash. Union, May 9; June 6. Meade, Letters, i, 59–60. Journal U. S. Artill., July, 1892, p. 293. [132]King to Buchanan, June 1. [69]Spy to Taylor, Apr. 11.
Taylor’s army lay on the Pt. Isabel road, which connected here with the principal Matamoros ferry (Paso Real). Fort Brown was about a mile and a half from the site of the present fort. The line of the fort at Pt. Isabel enclosed about fifty acres, and could not be properly fortified with the means at hand in the time allowed. May 2 the works were far from complete. Some at least of the disadvantages of his position were pointed out to Taylor, but he seemed to feel no concern. Marcy was surprised that the Mexicans did not cross the Rio Grande near its mouth and capture Pt. Isabel. The explanation probably was that they believed the plan they acted upon was better.
[7.] [217]Henshaw papers. [61]Crossman to ... Apr. 23. [66]Mansfield to Totten, Apr. 23. Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 133, 138, 142, 288 (Taylor). Spirit of the Times, May 23. Meade, Letters, i, 66 (the murder of Cross caused intense resentment). México á través, iv, 561. Campaña contra, 4. [69]Walker to Taylor, May 2. Walker was absent on service when the men were surprised. [52]Consul Chase, Tampico, May 1. National, June 18.
[8.] Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 133, 302 (Taylor). (West Pointers) [224]Bliss to Hitchcock, June 7. [76]Mejía, Apr. 9. [76]Id. to Arista, Apr. 30. [76]Ampudia, Mar. 28. Tropic, May 7 (proclam. of Ampudia). Ballentine, Eng. Soldier, i, 57–9. Kenly, Md. Vol., 39, 40. (Promises, etc.) [69]Arista, “Advice,” Apr. 20. [69]Report of spy, Apr. 5. Wilhelm, Eighth Inf., i, 408. Meade, Letters, i, 53. London Times, June 8. Ho. 194; 29, 1 (Jones, May 5). Spirit of the Times, May 16. Esperanza, Apr. 18. Bustamante, N. Bernal, ii, 11. [69]Mier y Terán to Mejía, May 4. Taylor gave orders to shoot soldiers attempting to cross the river. Later, British deserters were not accepted.
[9.] [76]Arista, May 1, 7. So. Advocate, June 10, 1846. [76]Ampudia to Arista, Apr. 30. [76]Parrodi, Apr. 8. [69]Arista, “Advice,” Apr. 20. [76]Mejía proclam., Mar. 18. (Lasted) Donnavan, Adventures, 102. [76]Comte. gen. S. L. Potosí, proclam., Mar. 27. [76]Comte. gen. Zacatecas to troops, Apr. 1. The Mexican press teemed with the ideas here suggested. To an Indian anything as foreign as a neighboring estate seemed dreadful. [76]Ampudia, Mar. 28. Apuntes, 33. (Despised) [162]Conner to wife, May 9; Henshaw narrative; Niles, May 16, p. 165; Sept. 12, p. 22. (Hardee) [224]Bliss to Hitchcock, June 7. Ampudia’s troops had mutinied on the way, but an appeal to their patriotism had brought them round. There had been, as was usual, a good deal of desertion; but to a certain extent those who stood by the colors were for this reason above the average ([76]Ampudia, Mar. 10, 11, 12). Taylor’s method—uniformly despising the enemy and teaching his troops to do so—was contrary to the practice of Cæsar, Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington (Napol., Maxims, 49, note).
[10.] (Obvious) Henshaw narrative. [63]Marcy, Jan. 13. [69]Friend, [Apr. 11]. Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 138, 140, 142 (Taylor). [65]Taylor, gen. orders 45. (Seven) [69]McCall, report, Apr. 30. May 3 Taylor reported that his lack of light troops had helped to keep him in ignorance of the enemy’s movements as if that lack had been due to some one else. He did not call on Texas for troops until Apr. 26. Ripley (War with Mexico, i, 133) says he did not call in February because such troops could serve only three months. But had a call been issued then, the troops would probably not have begun to serve for a month or two; and later he could have called for a second small body.
[11.] México á través, iv, 561. [76]Arista, Apr. 27; May 1. [76]Id. to Ampudia, May 5. Revue des Deux Mondes, Aug. 1, 1847, 394–6. Republicano, June 5. Campaña contra. [76]Arista to Mejía, May 1, 2. [76]Mejía to Arista, May 1, 3. [69]Diary captured in Arista’s papers. [76]Plana mayor diary. Apuntes, 35–7. Bustamante, N. Bernal, ii, 16. [76]Testimony at trial of Arista. People in the United States could not believe Taylor would permit the enemy to get between him and his base (e.g. Mobile Herald and Tribune, May 3). At first Arista left only 1007 men at Matamoros, but, becoming anxious about the town, he sent back the Morelia battalion.
[12.] Henshaw narrative. Mansfield, Mex. War, 35. Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 288 (Taylor). Taylor, Letters (Bixby), 175. Picayune, May 12. Nebel and Kendall, 1. Niles, May 23, p. 178. Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1161 (Conner). [62]Twiggs to Davis, May 4. (Lowd, etc.) Meade, Letters, i, 74–5. Appleton’s Biog. Dict. (art. by J. Davis on Taylor). Autograph, May-June, 1912 (Taylor). Smith, To Mexico, 44. Fry and Conrad, Taylor, 109–10. Henry, Camp. Sketches, 86. [76]Diary of plana mayor. [76]To Arista, May 15.