[36.] Perry flew the pennant of a vice commodore (Conner, Home Squadron, 12).
[37.] Brooke had at first intended to send also four companies of Mounted Rifles; and Taylor, on hearing of this, protested sharply to the government that “a large and efficient force of cavalry,” on which he counted, had been diverted to a place where they were not needed (Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 382, 388), overlooking the fact that this corps had no horses (orders no. 149: ibid., 512). Now that Tampico had been captured by the navy, Taylor said it was of no consequence (Letters (Bixby), 78). These points are mentioned to show his state of mind, which will need to be understood when we come to Scott’s operations. The Alabama regiment was ordered to Tampico by Patterson (Bliss: Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 383).
[38.] Occupation of Tampico. Eco, June 9; Sept. 12; Oct. 29; Nov. 18, 19, 25. [303]Juanito del Bosque, Jan. 6, 1847. Apuntes, 78–86. [61]Gates to Barnard, May 4, 1849. [69]Prout to Patterson, Oct. 28. [164]Chase to Conner, June 4. Parrodi, Memoria (including letters to and from S. Anna and others). Ampudia, To Fellow-citizens, July 10. Commerc. Review, 1846, p. 165. [47]Conner, Oct. 7; Nov. 5, 21; Dec. 1. Polk, Diary, Sept. 19–22. [297]Mackenzie to Buchanan, July 7. Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 480–1 (Jones); 339, 341 (Marcy); 378–9, 387 (Taylor); 252 (Mason); 270 (Conner); 271 (Tattnall and Ingraham); 271 (Cervantes et al.). [162]Morris to Conner, Sept. 21. [162]Tattnall to Conner, Nov. 20. Parker, Recolls., 68. Conner, Home Squad, 11 (Conner), 12. [48]Bancroft to Conner, Aug. 29. [48]Mason to Id., Sept. 22. Balbontín, Estado, 52. Diario, Sept. 22; Oct. 6; Nov. 28. S. Anna, Apelación, 29–31. [99]S. Anna to Tampico ayunt., Oct. 27. [245]Bee to Lamar, Dec. 5. [99]Parrodi to Tamp. ayunt., Oct. 26. [99]Urrea to Id., Oct. 29. [99]Gov. Tamaul. to Id., Oct. 25. [99]Gov. Tamaul., circular, Nov. 17. Vindicación del Gen. Parrodi. [69]Worth to Bliss, Dec. 4. Steele, Amer. Camps., 125. [226]Beauregard to Totten, Nov. 27. [69]Chase, Dec. 3, 1845. [313]Id. to Saunders, May 26, 31. Public Ledger, Jan. 7, 1847 (Mrs. Chase). [52]Mrs. Chase to Conner, Oct. 20. [316]Judd to Sherman, Feb. 26, 1848. Ballentine, Eng. Sold., i, 267. [69]Shields to Bliss, Jan. 13, 1847. [60]Id. to Barnard, Apr. 20, 1849. Meade, Letters, i, 159–60. [46]Perry to Mason, Nov. 15, 19. [46]Declaration, Nov. 15. N. Y. Eve. Post, Nov. 18, 1847. [165]Conner letter book, Nov. 13-Dec. 4. Taylor, Letters (Bixby), 77–8. Negrete, Invasión, iii, 170–3. Balbontín, Invasión, 54. Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1171, 1173 (Conner); 1174–5 (Tattnall). Ho. 4; 29, 2, p. 381. [69]Perry, memo., [Nov. 16]. [61]Gardner, Dec. 2. [61]Gates, Nov. 20. [61]Brooke, Nov. 21. [69]Gates, Nov. 26. [163]Perry to Mason, Nov. 16. [61]Patterson to Marcy, Nov. 23. [162]Tattnall to alcalde, Nov. 19. Bennett, Steam Navy, 93. Monitor Repub., Dec. 2. [166]Patterson to Perry, Nov. 22. [166]Perry to Conner [about Nov. 30]. [166]Tattnall to Id., Nov. 22. [313]Saunders to Taylor, June 5. [61]Jones to Scott, Nov. 28, 30; to Patterson, Nov. 29; to Taylor, Nov. 30. [313]Letters from Conner to Saunders, Nov. [61]Gardner to Taylor, Nov. 17. Smith, Remins., 28. [61]Shields, Dec. 23. Espía de la Frontera, no. 7. [76]Gov. Tamaul., address, Nov. 27. Memoria de ... Relaciones, 1846 (circular, Nov. 21). Picayune, Jan. 2, 1847. [112]Barnard, Dec. 20, notes on the fortifications. [112]Id. to Gates, Dec. 11; to Shields, Dec. 28. [112]Beauregard to Totten, Feb. 2, 1847; to Gates, Feb. 24. [61]Gates to Barnard, May 4, 1849. [66]Beauregard to Totten, Jan. 9, 1847. The following are from [76]. Parrodi, Oct. 17. S. Anna to Urrea, Oct. 18. Prefect Huejutla, Nov. 23, 30. Múñoz, Nov. 21, 23, 26; Dec. 1. Order, April 24. Gov. Guanajuato, Nov. 27. Gov. Michoacán, Nov. 26. Múñoz to Gov. Tamaul., Nov. 14. Tampico ayunt. to Conner, Nov. 14. Parrodi, proclam., June 9. To Parrodi, June 3; Aug. 28. Circular, Nov. 21. To Bravo, May 14. Bravo, May 18. Mejía, June 9. To comte. gen. Querétaro, Nov. 21. Parrodi, May 20; June 17; July 8; Sept. 2, 5. Múñoz to Parrodi, Nov. 14. S. Anna to Parrodi, Oct. 12. To S. Anna, Oct. 15; Nov. 8. Ampudia, Sept. 29. S. Anna, Oct. 3, 10, 12; Nov. 4, 12, 21. Affidavit of M. Dorante, Dec. 23. Comte. Nat. Gd., Tampico, to Urrea, Nov. 4. To Ampudia, Aug. 28. When Perry reached Brazos Id. the weather was so bad that he could only leave an officer on an anchored vessel.
[39.] An estimate of Taylor’s strength on Dec. 9 was 14,000 for the entire field (Picayune, Dec. 27). One of Wool’s companies was still at San Antonio, one on the Rio Grande, and four at Monclova on Dec. 16, he stated; several were left behind when he marched from Parras, and he probably had 200 sick. Dec. 24 he reported about 2000 effectives as with him. At Camargo and doubtless elsewhere in that region there was considerable sickness. See a letter (probably from P. F. Smith) in Littell, no. 141, p. 191. One may doubt whether Taylor had a fighting force of over 12,000 at this time. The lines are reckoned as from Point Isabel or the mouth of the Rio Grande to Camargo, Saltillo and Parras, and from Monterey to Tampico. They were soon longer, because Taylor advanced beyond Saltillo. His advance to Victoria began Dec. 13 (chap. xviii, p. 357).
[40.] Opinions as to the number of men under Santa Anna at this time differed. Taylor’s report on Dec. 4 (Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 441) was 20,000 infantry and a large cavalry force; Meade, Nov. 24, 35,000; Meade, Dec. 8, 30,000. [69]Wool wrote on Dec. 24 that according to spies sent out from Parras Santa Anna had 12,000 at San Luis Potosí, 30,000 at some distance from there, and 9000 on their way from Guadalajara. [69]Butler wrote from Saltillo on Dec. 20 that Santa Anna appeared to have 35,000 at S. L. P. and 9000 at Tula.
[41.] Taylor’s military policy. Taylor, Letter to Gaines, Nov. 5 (and in Picayune, Feb. 2, 1847). [169]Id. to Crittenden, Oct. 9. [370]Id. to Davis, April 18, 1848. Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 351–4, 377, 379–82, 441, 514–5 (Taylor); 389–91 (Marcy). [256]Marcy to Wetmore, Jan. 24; Mar. 29, 1847. Scribner, Campaign, 55. Meade, Letters, i, 152, 168–9. Polk, Diary, Jan. 5, 1847. [61]Wool, Dec. 16. [69]Id. to Taylor, Dec. 24. Journ. Milit. Serv. Instit., xiv, 443. Taylor, Letters (Bixby), 71–2. [330]Id. to brother, Dec. 12. [256]Scott to Marcy, Dec. 27, priv. Morning News, New London, Conn., Dec. 10. [267]Memo. (probably from Maj. Smith). P. F. Smith, Memoir, Oct. 15.
There was also the difficulty of supervising lines so extended. At this very time Taylor was afraid things were going badly in his rear ([330]to brother, Dec. 12). It is particularly hard to find any good reason for posting a (necessarily large) force at Victoria, so very far from support. The pass between that point and Tula was not practicable for artillery, and was not the only pass by which infantry and cavalry could cross the mountains. Taylor (Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 380) argued that from Victoria he could threaten the Mexican flank, should Santa Anna advance. But he would have had to force the pass, and without artillery he could not have accomplished much. In case of Santa Anna’s advancing and succeeding, this flanking force would have been in great peril, while in case of his failing it would have been useless. Anyhow it would have been more useful with the main army. Not only were the Americans scattered at posts, but they moved about in parties of only 200 or 300 with a carelessness that astounded the Mexicans (Camargo letter: N. Y. Journal of Commerce, Jan. 8, 1847). Taylor could not safely count upon coöperation between Wool and Worth in the case of an advance of the Mexicans, for it was likely that Santa Anna’s first care would be to block the road, as probably he could have done.
XIV. SANTA FE
[1.] Independence is ten miles east of Kansas City and about thirty-five from Fort Leavenworth.
[2.] Conditions in New Mexico; Armijo. [13]Bankhead, no. 148, 1846. St. Louis Weekly Reveille, May 23. St. Louis Republican, Aug. 25. Sen. 7; 30, 1 (Emory). [60]Leitensdorfer, June 7. Sen. Misc. 26; 30, 1 (Wislizenus). Inman, Old S. Fe Trail, 27–54, 67–92. [75]Armijo, Jan. 12. [75]Hacienda to Relaciones, Mar. 16. Monitor Repub., Apr. 15. Memoria de ... Guerra, March, 1845. Picayune, March 18. Dublán, Legislación, v, 10. Niles, Sept. 26, p. 52. [52]Alvarez, Feb. 2, 1842; Sept. 4, 1846. [52]Jones, Sept. 20, 1837. [13]Ashburnham, no. 50, 1837. Sen. 90; 22, 1, pp. 30–41. Captain of Vols., Conquest. Pacheco, Exposición. Ruxton, Adventures (London, 1847), 110, 185–6. Cooke, Conquest, 60. Kendall, Narrative, i, 295, 314–5, 346–60. Amigo del Pueblo, Aug. 19, 1845. México á través, iv, 403. Wash. Globe, Sept. 2, 1845. N. Orl. Courier, July 5, 1845. Houston Telegraph, Jan. 24, 1844. [77]Arrangóiz, no. 63, res., 1843. [77]Almonte, no. 4, 1844. Amer. Antiquarian Soc. Proceeds., new series, viii, 324–41. And the following from [76]. Assembly of N. Méx., Feb., 1846 (petition for comte. gen.). Re-extracto on N. Méx. (Sambrano). Ayunt., Hermosillo, Son., proclam. Comte. gen. N. Méx., May 17, 1845. Tornel, Mar. 10, 1846. To Hacienda, Mar. 6. Trial of Magoffin (testimony). A merchant’s estimate of Santa Fe caravan business for 1846 was that the first cost of the goods amounted to $937,500 (Captain of Vols., Conquest, 11).