If a train moved in sections with troops between them its length was increased so much that more strength was believed to be lost than gained. The “roads” were usually narrow, especially in rough country. For Urrea see chap. xx, [p. 400].
[5.] Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 1138, 1142, 1180, 1211 (Taylor). [61]Wool to adj. gen., Dec. 20, 1847; Feb. 4; Mar. 2; May 9, 1848; to Hunter, Dec. 14, 1847; to Hamtramck, Dec. 18; to Lobo, July 25; to Marcy, Feb. 26, 1848; [65]orders, 11, Dec. 17, 1847. [65]Id.., orders 66, Feb. 26, 1848. [69]Commrs. of N. León towns to Taylor, Apr. —, 1847. [61]McDowell to Butler, Jan. 18, 1848. [348]Pattridge to Miss W., July 21, 1847. Apuntes, 387. Republicano, Apr. 14, 1847. Niles, May 8, 1847, p. 152. [212]Hastings, diary. Sen. 32; 31, 1 (Hughes, mem., 43). [148]Chamberlain, recolls. [76]Aguirre, proclam., Aug. 27, 1847. [76]Canales to R. Uribe, Apr. 10. [76]Urrea, May 27. [76]Jefe político, Saltillo, to ayunt., Sept. 28; Nov. 4.
Final action regarding the fine of $96,000 was made contingent on the conduct of the people (Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 1139). General Mora, commanding at San Luis Potosí, thought he could take advantage of a small massacre perpetrated by Americans to score a point, but Taylor disposed of him summarily (ibid., pp. 1138–41).
[6.] Sun of Anahuac, Aug. 25, 1847. Apuntes, 385–7. [73]Bermúdez de Castro, no. 517, 1847. [350]Weber, recolls. Lerdo de Tejada, Apuntes, ii, 579. Wise, Gringos (N. Y., 1849), 278, 281. Picayune, Oct. 15; Dec. 19. Kenly, Md. Vol., 323. Oswandel, Notes, 153, 166, 215. [76]Mora, Apr. 23, 1847. [76]Rea, Nov. 14. Dublán, Legislación, v, 284, 288. Diario, May 2, 10; June 27 (S. Anna, decree, June 26). [76]Lombardini, May 27. [76]Guerra, circular, June 26.
[7.] [61]Wilson to adj. gen., Aug. 21, 1847. (Losses) Ho. 24; 31, 1. [68]Court of inquiry, Puebla, July 17. [221]Hill, diary, Nov. 8. [69]Hughes to Capt. Scott, Jan. 8, 1848. Grone, Briefe, 33, 37, etc. [61]Lally to Wilson, Aug. 11, 26. [61]Briscoe, report, Mar. 1, 1848. [65]Scott, gen. orders 250, 1847; 45, 1848. Lerdo de Tejada, Apuntes, ii, 579, 582. Delta, Oct. 1, 5, 1847. Kenly, Md. Vol., 304–8, 318. Apuntes, 386–7. [234]McDaniel to Johnson, Jan. 28, 1848. Ho. 60; 30, 1, pp. 1068 (Marshall); 1069 (Miles); 1082 (Scott). Niles, Sept. 18, 1847, p. 35; Oct. 16, p. 103. [291]Pierce, diary. [291]Bonham to Pierce, July 27. [61]Cadwalader to Wilson, June 13. [287]Parrish, diary. [76]Soto, June 10, 14; July 19. [76]Mendoza to Soto, June 16. [178]Davis, diary. Diario, June 23. Sen. 1; 30, 1, pp. 482 (Lally); 488 (Sears); 489 (Ridgely); 491–5; app., 4, 13, 16 (McIntosh); 18 (Cadwalader); 21 (Wynkoop); 23 (Walker); 25 (Pierce). Roa Bárcena, Rec., 252, 254, 262. Oswandel, Notes, 381. June 6 McIntosh lost six killed, fifteen wounded.
For McIntosh and Pierce see chap. xxiv, [pp. 76–7]. McIntosh left Vera Cruz June 4 with 132 wagons, about 500 pack-mules, 170 dragoons, 100 dismounted dragoons and about 450 infantry. The wagon horses were weak mustangs; the mules unbroken and vicious; the teamsters Mexicans, mostly new to the business. The wagons became too much separated. The dragoons acted imprudently. A court of inquiry exonerated McIntosh. The guerillas destroyed the fine bridge at Plan del Río in the hope of stopping Cadwalader, who marched from Vera Cruz to reinforce McIntosh. Lally had two companies of the Fourth Infantry, two of the Fifth, one of the Eleventh, three of the Twelfth, one of the Fifteenth, two of the Voltigeurs and one of Louisiana horse. The “missing” numbered twelve. He admitted that at the national bridge only his artillery gave him the victory. Lally had been appointed from civil life, and, though military in appearance, did not understand his present business (Grone, Briefe, 46–8). Hearing at Perote that Lally had been repulsed, Colonel Wynkoop with two companies of infantry and one of cavalry marched to Jalapa in thirty-six hours. Naturally the Americans greatly overestimated the numbers of the guerillas they were fighting. In November, 1847, the guerillas operated so near Vera Cruz that the farmers would not bring milk and vegetables to the city unless escorted. January 3, 1848, Lieut. Col. Miles left Vergara with some 500 wagons and a large number of pack-mules. He had 1300 troops, but only 150 of them were cavalry. The train extended at least nine miles. In spite of unusual precautions 250–300 of the pack-mules were captured near Santa Fe. Most of the goods thus lost belonged to Mexican merchants. In February, 1848, a party under Lieut. Col. Briscoe was attacked on its way to Orizaba. A number of other encounters are mentioned by Mexicans.
[8.] Oswandel, Notes, 156, 215–6, 365, 382. [13]Giffard, nos. 19, May 30; 37, Oct. 20, 1847. [13]Doyle, no. 1, Jan. 13, 1848. [61]Hughes to [Wilson], Sept. 13. [65]Scott, gen. orders 127, Apr. 29; 372, Dec. 12, 1847. Brackett, Lane’s Brigade, 174, 186, 194, 196. [128]Id.., diary. [12]Pell to Lambert, Nov. 30. Zirckel, Tagebuch, 50, 53, 61–2. Correo Nacional, Dec. 21. Henshaw narrative. Grone, Briefe, 37–61. [61]Twiggs to Marcy, Mar. 1, 1848. Hitchcock, Fifty Years, 310. Scott, Mems., ii, 575. Lerdo de Tejada, Apuntes, ii, 579, 582. [152]Claiborne, mems. Sen. 52; 30, 1, p. 138 (Marcy). Delta, Dec. 23. Apuntes, 386. [62]Adj. gen. to Wilson, Aug. 12. Moore, Scott’s Camp., 72. Ramírez, México, 241–3, 260. Fraser’s Mag., xxxviii, 91–6. [76]J. G. Terán, May 17. Stevens, Stevens, i, 134. Vera Cruz Eagle, May 29. [61]Wilson to adj. gen., June 7. [159]Collins papers. Polk, Diary, July 16. [76]Soto, July 23; Aug. 11. Negrete, Invasión, iii, app., 60–1. Flag of Freedom, i, no. 4. [305]Richardson, recolls.
It was a common practice of these guerillas to mutilate wounded Americans. The lasso was one of their weapons. Their rule was to take no prisoners. After Scott had to abandon his communications with Vera Cruz, the government felt extremely anxious to have the line re-opened and kept open. August 12, 1847, the commander at Vera Cruz was assured that this was “of the first importance,” and troops were sent to him expressly for the purpose. The volunteers in general, personally brave and enterprising, did good service against the guerillas (Stevens, Stevens, i, 134); but as the latter almost always had horses, there was a particular need of cavalry on our side. About the first of July, 1847, the governors of Illinois and Georgia were called upon for two and five companies respectively of mounted men to help keep this line open. Polk himself selected Hays’s regiment (Diary, July 16). Walker, though stern with the guerillas, would not permit his men to pillage. Rebolledo was betrayed, and was taken by Mexican counter-guerillas in November, 1847; but he was defended by an American named Kennedy, who resided at Jalapa, and was merely imprisoned. Jarauta was shot in July, 1848, for revolutionary activities. Marcy wrote to Scott that the guerilla system was “hardly recognized as a legitimate mode of warfare, and should be met with the utmost allowable severity” (Sen. 52; 30, 1, p. 138), and ordered him to destroy the rendezvous of the guerillas. The guerillas failed completely to affect the general course of the war, as they were expected to do, but even as late as March, 1848, the road from Vera Cruz to Jalapa was safe for large parties only. Hays’s Rangers seemed to aim to dress as outlandishly as possible, and with their huge beards looked almost like savages. The officers were like the men in looks and costume. The horses were of all sizes and colors. For arms each had a rifle, a pair of pistols and one or two Colt’s five-shooters (Hitchcock, Fifty Years, 310; Brackett, Lane’s Brigade, 174). Hays’s usual order for attack was to point at the enemy and shout, “Give ’em hell!” (Zirckel, Tagebuch, 11).
[9.] [128]Brackett, diary. Tributo á la Verdad, 58. Grone, Briefe, 33. [61]Childs, Jan. 13, 1848. (Hostilities) [47]Perry, Nov. 2, 1847. [76]Mendoza to Soto, June 16, 1847. [47]Private letter (Mexican), Orizaba, [Sept., 1847]. [307]Roberts, diary. Porvenir, May 27. Picayune, May 6. [76]Acuerdo, July 30. [76]Mora, Apr. 23, 1847. [76]Relaciones to Guerra, Aug. 26. [76]Soto, Sept. 12. [86]Llorea to Soto, June 12. [76]Marín to Soto, Sept. 22, 25. [73]Bermúdez de Castro, no. 517, 1847. Diario, June 11. [214]Hays and Caperton, Hays. [257][Hughes] to Frank, Dec. 16. México á través, iv, 662.
[10.] [128]Brackett, diary. [80]Méx. legislature, address, Apr. 26, 1847; decree, May 31. [61]Childs, Jan. 13, 1848. Flag of Freedom, i, no. 3. Gamboa, Impug., 66. Bustamante, Nuevo Bernal, ii, 53, 215. Apuntes, 386. Nacional, Dec. 18. S. Anna, Apelación, 29. [82]Puebla state treas. to secy., May 10. And from [76] the following. Bravo, May 22, 1847. Guerra, circular, May 4. Lists of guerilla patents issued. Gov. Oaxaca, proclam., Jan. 25, 1848. Peña y Barragán, Nov. 24, 1847. To Torrejón, Dec. 28. Rea to Peña y Barragán, Nov. 26; to Guerra, Nov. 14. Rules of Rea’s officers. Alvarez, June 16. Rea said he had commanded regulars. He treated some captured Americans with much civility.