According to Conner’s son (Home Squadron, 17), the secretary of the navy on Sept. 22 instructed Conner to attack Alvarado, supposing he had been reinforced, and it has been said that the attack should not have been made without more strength; but the difficulty was that the American forces could not be made available. It is not easy to see how Conner was at fault unless, as perhaps on Aug. 7, he might have landed in boats under such protection as his cannon could give, stormed the fort that stood near the beach, and then landed more men. Conner does not seem to have thought that sailors could do much ashore. He had a landing-force (Conner, Home Squadron, 15), but whether at this time and place is not clear. Probably a bold, though unsuccessful, attack would have been better than to back out. He is said to have argued, after the failure of Aug. 7, that even success would not have been worth what it would have cost (Picayune, Aug. 26); but this left moral effects out of the account. It was said by a naval man that he should have added the McLane’s tow to his own and gone ahead; but it seems extremely doubtful whether he could have advanced against the current. Conner’s report (Oct. 17) says the Mississippi could not get near enough to make any impression on the fort, but a Mexican account printed in La Esperanza, Aug. 27, stated that some shot from our vessels struck more than 200 yards behind the fort, and one sees no reason to suppose that the statement was an invention. Conner seems to have thought of coming to Alvarado again, for in Jan., 1847, the Mexicans reported that the bar was being sounded ([76]Landero, Jan. 28). For the capture of the place at the beginning of April, 1847, see vol. ii, p. 344. Apr. 2 a naval expedition went up the river, returning on Apr. 4 ([66]J. L. Mason to J. L. Smith, Apr. 9).
[18.] The first Tabasco expedition. (Perry) [46]Perry, Aug. 15, 17; [165]Conner to P., Oct. 6; Conner, Home Squadron, 12–3. [162]Conner, Oct. 30. Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1165–70 (Perry’s report, etc.). Ho. 4; 29, 2, pp. 632–9. Diario, Nov. 7, 1846 (Traconis’ reports, etc.). [47]Perry to Mason, Nov. 16. Taylor, Broad Pennant, 316. [76]Gov. of Chiapas, Oct. 27. [60]Champlen to Polk, Dec. 4. Semmes, Service, 89. Conner, Home Squadron, 9. Information given to the author by a Mexican civil engineer residing in Tabasco. Apuntes, 389–90. [73]Bermúdez de Castro, no. 445, 1847. Aldrich, Marine Corps, 97. Ho. 4; 29, 2, p. 639. Sen. 1; 29, 2, p. 381. Parker, Recolls., 73–4. [76]Traconis, Nov. 16. Temístocles, Dec. 31. [76]Santalo’s testimony, Nov. 2. [76]Comte. gen. Tab, Apr. 6. Sen. 1; 30, 1, p. 950. [166]List of vessels captured. [166]Perry to Conner, Nov. 11. [166]Merchants to Perry, Oct. 26. [76]Traconis, proclam., Aug. 12. [13]Giffard, Jan. 31, 1847. Meade, Letters, i, 169.
As Perry was assigned to the Mississippi on Oct. 6, and commanded this important expedition so soon afterward, it has been supposed incorrectly that virtually, if not formally, the squadron was divided. The hope of the United States at the beginning of the war had been that Tabasco would be neutral. The orders were not to disturb it in that case ([49]Bancroft to Conner, May 19). Perry’s expedition was followed in Nov. by a revolution in Tabasco based ostensibly on the failure of the Mexican government to protect the state; but really the outbreak was due to local rivalries, and probably it caused the national government no material annoyance ([76]Alcorta, Jan. 4, 1848; México á través, iv, 599; [13]Bankhead, no. 186, 1846; [76]Acta of garrison, Nov. 19, 1846; Wash. Union, Jan. 18, 1847). Frontera was a valuable point, for the Americans could obtain water and cattle there and hinder illicit commerce. The Tabasco River is now called usually the Grijalva.
[19.] For the Tampico and Pánuco expeditions: vol. i, pp. 279, 281. [162]Mason to Conner, Nov. 29, 1846, priv. and confid. Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1175 (Conner), 1176 (Perry). Semmes, Service, 90. Bennett, Steam Navy, 93. [47]Conner, Dec. 17. [166]Perry to C., Dec. 27; to Benham, Dec. 23; to Sands and Parker, Dec. 21. [166]Benham to Perry, Dec. 22. [166]Parker to Perry, Dec. 22. [166]Conner to Hunt, Feb. 8, 1847. [166]Sands to Conner, Feb. 20. [13]Giffard, Jan. 31, 1847. The expedition set out on Dec. 17.
Many of the people of Tabasco supposed, when Perry arrived off Frontera in Dec., that he was going to S. Juan Bautista to avenge his “defeat”; and as he did not, they presumably felt more haughty than ever (Temístocles, Dec. 31).
[20.] Niles, Oct. 31, 1846, p. 132. Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 775. (Bancroft) Mason to Conner, Oct. 26. Soley, Porter, 59. Farragut, Farragut, 158, 197. United Service, Feb., 1897 (Conner). México á través, iv, 419. Scott, Mems., ii, 422. N. Y. Eve. Post, June 10. [165]Conner to Bancroft, June 11 (impregnable if properly equipped and manned). Memoria de ... Guerra, Dec, 1846. Wash. Union, June 17. Diccionario Universal (Ulúa). Journal des Débats, Aug. 11, 1838. [162]Morris to Conner, June 10, 24; Oct. 24, 1846. See chap. xviii, [p. 349], and [note 2].
Oct. 3, 1846, the garrison were in a state of mutiny because hungry ([76]Morales, Oct. 4; S. Anna, Oct. 14), but the Americans did not know this. Conner suggested that he be given a landing brigade, so that he could make a combined land and water attack (Conner, S. Juan de Ulloa, 15). During the siege of Vera Cruz Perry planned to bombard the fortress and attack it with boats on a dark night in conjunction with the land forces (Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1191). Many original documents bearing on the construction of Ulúa could be cited, but they would have only an antiquarian interest. David D. Porter and David G. Farragut are the men referred to. The eagerness of certain young officers led to some enterprises that were not altogether felicitous. Contrary to orders Lieut. Parker burned the Creole (Criolla), the last scrap of Mexican commerce, under the guns of Ulúa at night: but this injured Hargous, the American merchant, who owned or had chartered her ([374]Semmes to Conner, Nov. 28; Dec. 6, 1846; [374]Parker to Semmes, Nov. 27). It has been said that this ended a secret correspondence by which Conner obtained valuable information (Conner, Home Squadron, 7), but circumstances had probably put a stop to that about six weeks before ([166]Pommarès to Conner, Oct. 17). A plan was laid to blow up a Mexican powder magazine near V. Cruz, but this resulted in the capture of Passed Midshipman R. C. Rogers and another man ([162]Semmes to Perry, Dec. 6, 1846; [162]Wright to Semmes, Dec. 6; Semmes, Service, 91). For the capture of Vera Cruz and Ulúa see [chap. xxii].
21. [162]Conner, Sept. 30, 1846. [374]Perry to C., Nov. 24. [162]Morris to C., Oct. 24. Picayune, Jan. 6, 1847. Curtis, Buchanan, i, 603–4. Griffis, Perry, 210–1, 221. [108]Appleton to Bancroft, Feb. 24; Apr. 27, 1847. Parker, Recolls., 92. Sen. 1; 30, 1, 945 (Mason, report). [163]Semmes to Conner, Sept. 29, 1850. [165]Conner to Perry, Mar. 20, 1847. [256]Marcy to Wetmore, Apr. 6, 1847. Conner’s reputation in the navy at the present day is that of a coward—one of the numberless instances of historical injustice.
[22.] Capture of Tuxpán. Ho. 1; 30, 2, pp. 1192–8, 1202 (Perry and others). Semmes, Service, 150–5. [76]Cos, Jan. 18; Apr. 4, 16, 29. Picayune, Jan. 2. Griffis, Perry, 241. [76]Soto, Aug. 31, 1846. [76]Cos to ayunt., Apr. 24. Parker, Recolls., 78, 106–7. [76]Proceeds. of Tuxpán ayunt., Apr. 22. Captain of the port, Apr. 26. American Star (Jalapa), May 2. Wash. Union, May 13, 17; June 4; Sept. 11. Soley, Porter, 72. Eagle (V. Cruz), Apr. 28. Jones, Tattnall, 64–5.
Perry’s force, consisting of the steamers Mississippi, Spitfire (a vessel—similar to the Vixen—which had joined the squadron in November), Vixen and Scourge, the schooner-gunboats Reefer, Petrel and Bonita, the frigate Raritan (carrying 180 officers and men from the Potomac besides her own complement), the sloops Albany, John Adams, Decatur and Germantown, the bomb-vessels Vesuvius, Ætna and Hecla, and 300 officers and men from the ship-of-the-line Ohio, which stopped at Vera Cruz, on her way to the Pacific, to assist Scott, who were distributed on the Mississippi and smaller vessels, gathered first at Lobos Ids., where the forces were drilled about a day for the attack. Next, after having been separated by a norther, they met off the bar. The Mexicans were driven a short distance from the town, but further pursuit into the chaparral would have been vain. An expedition went some distance up the river from Tuxpán (Semmes, Service, 154). The city government had not wished Cos to defend the town, and hence he withdrew all his troops from town before the attack. Most of his troops soon scattered. The city would not help support them, but furnished the Americans with supplies cheerfully. At Perry’s request steps were taken to maintain order. He now left the Albany and Reefer off the river, and sent the Hecla to blockade Soto la Marina, the Germantown to search the coast north of Lobos Ids., the Ætna to occupy Tabasco River, the Porpoise and the Vesuvius to hold Laguna. Besides the flotilla mentioned above he probably had under his command at this time the gunboats Falcon and Tampico (vol. ii, p. 338; Ho. 1; 30, 2, p. 1182). For the loss of the Truxtun in Aug., 1846, which led to a great deal of discussion regarding the conduct of Carpender, her captain, see [162]Conner, Aug. 24; [47]Id.., Aug 24; [47]Carpender to Conner, Aug. 24; Mason to Polk, Oct. 28, 1846; Semmes, Service, 82; N. Orl. Commerc. Bulletin, Sept. 8; Parker, Recolls., 78; Docs. in Conner papers; comte. gen. V. Cruz, Aug. 23 and docs.; Taylor, Broad Pennant, 260; Wash. Union, Sept. 12, 22; Nat. Intelligencer, Sept. 14.